Effects of the use of Sexual appeal on society
So far we have explored different print ads that use sexual appeal and have talked about why companies use this strategy, however; now we will focus on why this type of advertising has a negative influence on society. This is seen in the way that it depicts women, and in the way that it creates standards for what society deems appropriate.
For a long time models have been used in ads that use the power of body image to sell a product. But only using beautiful, and physically fit women at some point crosses the line. With print advertisements being so widely spread, these images can reach just about everyone, including young kids. Kids, especially young girls, are susceptible to the influence of these images. They can influence how kids view body image, and also can influence how kids view sex. Because of how common these types of ads are, it can easily influence youth into believing that sex is ok, acceptable, or even cool.
As a result of sexual appeal in advertising, a controversial feminist debate has come about over the past decade or so promoting women empowerment. An article titled “Media, Empowerment and the ‘Sexualization of Culture’ Debates” written by Rosalind Gill explores this idea of women empowerment. Gill establishes both sides of the argument, where she describes how some view sexually explicit images in advertising as positive images. While on the other side of the debate, these images are seen as degrading towards women.
Gill writes, “On one side of the argument are those who mobilize women’s ‘choice’, ‘agency’ and ‘empowerment’ to champion aspects of ‘sexualized’ culture such as pornography, burlesque or the popularity of pole dancing as a recreational activity – these activities can be defended (or even celebrated) because they are ‘empowering’. On the other, empowerment is regarded merely as a cynical rhetoric, wrapping sexual objectification in a shiny, feisty, postfeminist packaging that obscures the continued underlying sexism.”
This argument about women empowerment would not be as big of a debate, if it weren’t for the constant use of sexual imagery in advertising. The fact that it is used so often and is so widely spread, calls attention to it. Regardless of how much attention it receives, advertising containing sexually explicit images begins to blur the lines of what should make women feel empowered.
Another way that sexual appeal in advertising affects society is by creating a false image of what society deems appropriate. Being exposed to this type of advertising can leave the impression that if it’s being displayed on public advertisements, then it must be appropriate. This mindset applies to how people dress, what they say, and how they treat one another.
For a long time models have been used in ads that use the power of body image to sell a product. But only using beautiful, and physically fit women at some point crosses the line. With print advertisements being so widely spread, these images can reach just about everyone, including young kids. Kids, especially young girls, are susceptible to the influence of these images. They can influence how kids view body image, and also can influence how kids view sex. Because of how common these types of ads are, it can easily influence youth into believing that sex is ok, acceptable, or even cool.
As a result of sexual appeal in advertising, a controversial feminist debate has come about over the past decade or so promoting women empowerment. An article titled “Media, Empowerment and the ‘Sexualization of Culture’ Debates” written by Rosalind Gill explores this idea of women empowerment. Gill establishes both sides of the argument, where she describes how some view sexually explicit images in advertising as positive images. While on the other side of the debate, these images are seen as degrading towards women.
Gill writes, “On one side of the argument are those who mobilize women’s ‘choice’, ‘agency’ and ‘empowerment’ to champion aspects of ‘sexualized’ culture such as pornography, burlesque or the popularity of pole dancing as a recreational activity – these activities can be defended (or even celebrated) because they are ‘empowering’. On the other, empowerment is regarded merely as a cynical rhetoric, wrapping sexual objectification in a shiny, feisty, postfeminist packaging that obscures the continued underlying sexism.”
This argument about women empowerment would not be as big of a debate, if it weren’t for the constant use of sexual imagery in advertising. The fact that it is used so often and is so widely spread, calls attention to it. Regardless of how much attention it receives, advertising containing sexually explicit images begins to blur the lines of what should make women feel empowered.
Another way that sexual appeal in advertising affects society is by creating a false image of what society deems appropriate. Being exposed to this type of advertising can leave the impression that if it’s being displayed on public advertisements, then it must be appropriate. This mindset applies to how people dress, what they say, and how they treat one another.
This advertisement for Dolce & Gabbana, an Italian luxury fashion company, is just one example of how sexual imagery in advertising can affect society. The skimpy clothing, and bare skin on both the men and woman in this ad, can influence what is a socially acceptable form of clothing. The poses within this ad can also influence society. By the way the one man is holding down the woman with three other men surrounding them, it is no surprise this ad was criticized for depicting a glorified gang rape. However with this ad publicized, it gives the impression that this type of behavior is acceptable.
Michael LaTour and Tony Henthorne wrote and article titled “Ethical Judgements of Sexual Appeals in Print Advertising.” In this article they discuss how ethical it is to be using sexual appeal in advertising, and also how being exposed to these types of promotions can affect consumers’ ethical judgments. They point out that there is a fine line between being “sexy” and being “sexist”.
LaTour and Henthorne conducted a study, in which participants were exposed to advertisements containing different levels of sexual imagery and then were given a survey. The survey asked participants to rate how ethical the advertisements were on a scale of 1 to 7. LaTour and Henthorne hypothesized that “a strong sexual appeal will result in significantly less favorable responses on moral and ethical dimensions.” After conducting their study with a total of 199 participants, they concluded that their findings did in fact support their hypothesis.
It’s pretty clear that allowing sexually explicit imagery to be used in public advertising can be a very negative influence on society.