Gender and Sexuality It isn’t strange to say that sex dominates our current society. We are constantly exposed to sexual content whether we like it or not, almost as if it was our own shadow. Sex can be found almost anywhere: on the internet, in public, or even in movies. Even in magazines, where the purpose clearly isn’t about sex, we can still find sexual content slipping in. While many of us would agree that sex should have its own place and shouldn’t meddle in places where it doesn’t belong, it is still an extremely attractive element to the general public. In fact, sex can instantly grab the attention of people toward things they wouldn’t otherwise show interest. Accordingly, I will analyze the three following images and explain how it …show more content…
It is clearly an advertisement designed to market the brand of Calvin Klein, and while that isn’t wrong in itself, the way it is portrayed is very debatable. First and foremost, we can see a man on top of a topless woman, holding her as though they were engaging in sexual activity. That alone already makes it very sexual. The woman is shown to have her hands above her head, as if she was in complete submission. Her closed eyes and slightly parted lips are also evident features of this sexual advertisement. Common sense would dictate that she is enjoying this experience and wouldn’t want it to end anytime soon. Moreover, as if it wasn’t evident already, the woman is shown to be lying down in a very comfortable position. Her breasts, although slightly covered by the man, are still very within sight. The man for some reason isn’t looking at the woman, but instead is looking at the viewers, as if to interact with them. His face appears to be confident as if he is telling the viewers that if they had these pair of jeans, they would have sex. All of these features can be very arousing to the general public, hence the reason behind this …show more content…
Pictures taken by instant camera are considered genuine and worthy of a thousand words, while selfies nowadays hold no value, as they are usually plagued with ‘likes’, ‘tags’, and ‘shares’. Nevertheless, in my opinion, the sincerity of this advertisement loses all credibility when it decides to feature a highly sexualized woman. First of all, she is topless and her breasts, although slightly covered by her hands, are still in the photograph’s focus. Her smile and evident teeth are not inherently suggestive of sexuality; however, when paired with her topless body and exposed breasts, it serves to further entice the readers. Moreover, the woman does not seem to be wearing any pants at all. She is holding an instant camera, and it is not exactly clear what she is doing it with. She could be simply getting in position to take a photograph of someone. Or, she could be handing the instant camera to a person for him to take a picture of her fully naked body. Personally, the latter seems to be the most plausible scenario. Lastly, not only is the background very limited, but it is also blurry. The photographer clearly intended for all eyes to stare at her in order to attract the most readers as possible. Having naked women featured in its advertisement simply for the purpose of attracting more viewers seems quite
Thus, we can assume that the audience itself, the members who believe in the content of ads and its sincerity, as well as, people who agree with the portrait of the women that is being created are the only prisoners in this particular situation. “To them, I said, the truth would be literally nothing but the shadows of the images” (Plato 868). On the other hand, according to the Jean Kilbourne, author of “Two Ways a Woman Can Get Hurt” what is not mention to the public is the fact, that many women from the very young age during the process of finding out the truth and being blinded by the “light” are fighting with depression, low self-esteem, eating disorders and sexual harassment. “I contend that all girls growing up in this culture are sexually abused – abused by the pornographic images of female sexuality that surround them from birth, abused by all the violence against woman and girls, and abused by the constant harassment and threat of violence” (Kilbourne
Although this advertises nothing threatening it shows something very sexual and very pornograpahic which is the woman. Advertising this can attract many young adults to thinking they can be like her or want her if they do what she does. So the public can find these pictures very attractive because it gets their attention. Kilbourne 's perspective towards this was that she said, “The poses and postures of advertising of advertising are often borrowed from pornography, as are many of the themes, such as bondage, sadomasochism, and the sexual exploitation of children.” 492 Kilbourne is explain that the poses you see everyday is basically borrowed from pornographic people and it attracts many young children to look at them. It sets them up to look unique and attractive but the bad part is that it is related to the sexual part of a woman. The woman in the picture has many attributes that attracts people. Like having no clothes and lying in a sexual position which gets a lot of people 's attention. It exposes women and it makes them look much less dominant to men because they are an easy target. My personal perspective is that ending this sort of pleasure towards men in particular will make them less seductive to women or the other way
“The erotic is a measure between the beginnings of our sense of self and the chaos of our strongest feelings. It
this sexualised image and make it something to be desired and aspired to. While a girl displaying
Other aspects strengthen the advertisement design's sexual appeal. The foreground woman's strapless swimming suit, highlighted in red, is the most notable example. Her chest prominently resides above horizontal boxes in both th...
Advertisements are all over the place. Whether they are on TV, radio, or in a magazine, there is no way that you can escape them. They all have their target audience who they have specifically designed the ad for. And of course they are selling their product. This is a multi billion dollar industry and the advertiser’s study all the ways that they can attract the person’s attention. One way that is used the most and is in some ways very controversial is use of sex to sell products. For me to analyze this advertisement I used the rhetorical triangle, as well as ethos, pathos, and logos.
Blank, Leonard. (August 1967). The Impulse to Look and to Show. The Journal of Sex Research. Vol. 3, No. 3, pp. 223-228.
The headline of the ad is “Decisions are easy. When I get into a fork in the road, I eat.” After viewing this ad, the sub thought to every idea, man or woman, is that her cool attitude toward food can be easily duplicated. With this idea, there is a relationship that is formed between sexuality roles and advertisements. From a young age, women are constantly being shaped and guided to the ideal weight of our society, which is being impersonated by women similar to the one in this advertisement. Her sexual stance, thin, short skirt, and her hand placement all show signs of sexual
Sex is everywhere in our society. It is on TV, magazines, radio, billboards, and basically anywhere you look today. People cannot get away from sex in advertising because so many companies use it. Sex appeals are used in advertising all the time, and people love to look at it because 'Sometimes people listen better with their eyes' (Steel 137). Sex in advertising is an effective technique that is used today. It helps companies successfully sell their product in our market. Of course it has to be directed at the right audience, and sold at the right places in order for it to work.
They are lighter, also in a neutral shade to bring circularity to the intended product, and they are dewy and plump. This also causes them to stand out against the models skin. The model also has her finger up to them with her mouth slightly open as if she was telling the observer a secret or to hush. A sexy and seductive look for a secret only the reader gets to know. As taboo as it tends to be to talk about sex in America but how easy it is to find its implications in everyday life it is only fitting that it seems the Model has America's dirty little secret resting on her lips; sex.
Some Viewers interpreted the ad as something misogynistic, offencive and as a prime example of objectification. But another whole demographic s interpreted the ad in a much more positive way:
Americans are exposed to an estimated total of 4,000 to 10,000 advertisements each day, therefore; the media play a significant role in our lives on a daily basis (Marshall 2015). Music videos, movies, television shows, advertisements, and video games are just a few of the ways that we are exposed to sex and sexuality through the media. Sexually explicit images are dominating media and our society is becoming more and more sex-obsessed. Mainstream media portrays sex in a way that greatly affects our conceptions of sexuality. It is no secret though that when it comes to the media, men and women face very different realities. Whether it be in their portrayal, expectations or even careers within the media. Clear double standards can be seen
The objectification of women is a huge issue in society and is often led by advertising. However many men still believe that the adverts depicting women in a sexual and often passive posture are not very offensive but rather very funny or sexy. However how would they feel if it were their daughter or sister being advertised throughout the world as a sex object?
In many clothing advertisements, particularly jeans and lingerie ads, women are used as the main subjects to entice the viewer to notice the ad and most importantly, be excited about the product. In one photo, Calvin Klein Jeans promotes its clothing through what seems to be unwilling, reluctant sexual activity – rape. The advertisement displays the woman resisting the man with the palm of her right hand, and she is pulling her shirt down to cover her stomach with her left hand; yet he is still pursuing her and attempting to remove her top. Her body language and gaze – devoid of emotion – reveal that she is not interes...
The average American is exposed to hundreds of advertisements per day. Advertisements targeted toward females have an enormous effect on women's thoughts, attitudes, perceptions, and actions. Most of the time, women don't even realize these advertisements are formulating self-image issues. These ideals surround them daily and they become naturalized to the ads. Advertising creates an entire worldview persuading women to emulate the images they see all around them. In order to create a market for their products, companies constantly prey upon women's self esteem, to feel like they aren't good enough just the way they are. This makes women constantly feel stressed out about their appearance (Moore). Advertising has a negative effect on women's body image, health, and self-esteem.