Sex Sells

The 21st Century marked drastic changes for matters in which companies advertise their products. No longer can advertisements focus on the product itself; instead attention is drawn to creating a popular brand image. Advertising agencies will do whatever it takes to make their product seem as appealing as possible. Such drastic measures include the use of the female body, where half-naked beautiful women promote the brand in a sexual manner. Through the use of advertisements like half-clothed women, the media dictates what your ideal body should look like. Young men and women look up to these advertisements and strive to look like the models they idolize. These provocative advertisements are becoming so common in today’s society for products like alcohol, cologne and clothing, that it’s becoming the normal strategy for advertising agencies.

“Sexuality provides a resource that can be used to get attention and communicate instantly” (Jhally 253). What better way to draw a man’s attention, by displaying the image of half-naked beautiful women advertising a product. When flipping through a magazine a man might overlook a dull ad, but when coming across a sexy advertisement like the “wash me” axe ad shown above, it undoubtedly draws their attention and could impact their buying decisions. “Fundamentally, advertising talks to us as individuals and addresses us about how we can become happy” (Jhally 251). When consumers see beautiful models having a fun time in an ad, it makes them want to achieve the same level of happiness, which they feel can be achieved by buying the product being advertisements. A provocative advertisement, like the Tom Ford cologne ad, wouldn’t deliver the same powerful message without the use of the female body. In this advertisement, Tom Ford cologne is telling men that if you buy our cologne you will get laid. Sex is what sells in this day and age and it’s no wonder why advertising agencies will keep using this to their advantage.

In magazines, billboards, and television commercials, women are being objectified as sex-objects in order to sell a product. This might seem quite controversial to many people, but it’s becoming a normative part of our culture. “Advertisers are aware of their role and do not hesitate to take advantage of the insecurities and anxieties of young people, usually in the guise of offering solutions” (Kilbourne 258). Women are constantly being brainwashed by the media. Advertisements portray what is sexy and how a perfect female body should look. “Primarily girls are told by advertisers that what is most important about them is their perfume, their clothing, their bodies, and their beauty” (Kilbourne 260).


Works Cited

Jhally, Sut. “Image-Based Culture.” Gender, Race, and Class in the Media. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2003. (249-257).

Kilbourne, Jean. “The More You Subtract, The More You Add.” Gender, Race, and Class in Media. 2nd ed. Ed. Gail Dines and Jean M. Humez. Sage Publications, Inc, California, 2003. (258-265).