Rethinking: A for Advertising
Today, in class, we watched the documentary, "Killing me Softly" by Jean Kilbourne. She touches on a lot of topics and issues dealing with representation of feminity. She also takes a fresh look at how advertising traffics in distorted and destructive ideals of femininity. The lecture she gave focuses on advertising and the role of women.
The practice "sex sells" has been around since the early days of advertising. Numerous products like fragrances, clothing, alcohol, and even fast-food employ forms of sexual content to promote their brand to all demographics. As stated in one of the website, Advertising Undressed, "There are five types of sexual content in advertising which are; nudity/dress, sexual behavior, physical attractiveness, sexual referents, and sexual embeds." Research has proven that sexual ads are further engaging, entertaining, and interesting.
Because man have an increased liking and are more responsive to sexual content, most sexually based advertising targets them. Men exhibit authority and dominance in which case are the main targets for sexual imagery and women are sometimes objectivtied in advertisements.
However, even if the product may be sexually relevant, advertisements can be too aggressive. For example, designer Calvin Klein uses models, in the below picture, that wear his single product and nothing else, and is quoted as saying, "Jeans are about sex." The abundance of bare flesh is the last gasp of advertisers trying to give redundant products a new identity." Critics have compared his ads to pornography and there have been several issues regarding the model's ages and what is appropriate to be released to the public.
The use of sex in advertising has important social, managerial, and public
policy implications. We are all sexual human beings and reproduction is in our nature. Sex is considered a necessity in order to live. However, what I disagree most, is using unrealistic body images of women to promote and marketing advertising. These underweight, bony, skinny models send a negative image to the public and can also possible increase consequences for women such as eating disorder, depression, abuse, and violence. Roughly seven million American women and one million American men are affected by an eating disorder. Ads like these specifically target young adults, raising a social concern about what constitutes age-appropriate content. Pre-teens and teenagers are at a time when they are exploring their own sexuality; thus, they are especially vulnerable, curious, and easily influenced. I think America should impose an act like what the Israelis have implemented; no skinny models to decrease eating disorders. To drive down eating disorders in Israel they plan to promote more realistic body images among girls and women.The visual effect is so powerful and such a dangerous lure for girls and women who feel like they have to match this societal thin ideal. While changing the shapes of models seen in magazines and on TV is a "constructive goal," it may reduce eating disorders among girls and women.
