Sexually Explicit Advertising is Detrimental to Society

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Recommended: The impacts of sexuality in advertising

Sexually Explicit Advertising is Detrimental to Society

Just how far should advertisers go to sell a product? Individuals are reminded that a new age in advertising has emerged when Britney Spears and Victoria's Secret model Tricia Helfer grace the cover of Forbes, a traditionally mature financial magazine. However, as any good advertiser knows, sex sells; all people need to do is look at a newsstand or magazine rack. But while it sells, it also offends as the promiscuous use of sexual images in advertising rubs many consumers the wrong way. The current increase of sexually explicit advertising, while increasing sales, has many detrimental effects on society. New regulations or other forms of control need to be implemented to protect children and others who are defenseless against the war to win consumers.

According to a nationwide poll conducted for Adweek by Alden & Associates of Hermosa Beach, CA, people were asked whether they thought there is too much sexual imagery in advertising. A landslide of 73% said there is, with respondents in the 35-49 ag e bracket more likely to say so as concerned parents (Dolliver, 1). There is a struggle among advertisers on whether to use the sure way to sell the product (through sexual images) or to be true to a sense of morality. More often than not, greed takes o ver and morality is thrown out the window. The problem is that sexual appeal used as a marketing tool seems to be showing up more often with a broader range of products and audiences.

All too often sexually explicit ads appear in magazines such as YM, Teen, Self, Glamour, Seventeen, and Cosmopolitan, all of which have a target audience of 11-17 year olds who have not yet developed adequate defenses against sexually expli...

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...p 19 March 2001.

“The Joy of Sex.” Adweek 6 March 2000: 22. Online. EBSCOhost: Academic Search FullTEXT Elite. (AN: 2896174) 19 March 2001.

Marks, Alexandra. “A Backlash to Advertising in Age of Anything Goes.” Christian Science Monitor 22 Feb. 1999: 91. Online. EBSCOhost: Academic Search FullTEXT Elite. (AN: 1562687) 19 March 2001.

Menzies, David. “Sex Education 2000.” Profitguide.com Oct 1999. Online. http://profitguide.com/sales/C6-art.asp?ID=143 19 March 2001.

Miller, Michael. “Sex Sells, But It's Rarely Clever Now.” Capital District Business Review 12 June 2000: 27. Online. EBSCOhost: Academic Search FullTEXT Elite. (AN: 3383375). 19 March 2001.

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. “The Impact of Media on Adolescents' Sexual Behavior.” 10 June 1998. Online. http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-98-079.html 19 March 2001.

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