Essay on Sexuality in Advertising - 1350 Words

Sex is everywhere you turn. Victoria’s Secret is notorious for their ads that plaster billboards and the sides of buildings, featuring scantily-clad women suggesting an obvious sexual air. The bags you receive at Abercrombie feature half-dressed models, often two of which may be kissing or touching one another. These sexual images are far too present in the every day lives of young children, much younger than what used to be acceptable. Aside from this moral questionability, ads such as these often contain images of unrealistic body types, which exploit insecurity to make consumers use their product, the result of which can be dangerous to mental and physical health. Finally, when I see ads like the one to the right, and rack my brain†¦show more content†¦As images like this began to appear, they shocked the public, especially children who were previously unexposed to such graphics. But, despite the shock factor and the apparent irony that exists in a clothing store whose ads feature models who aren’t wearing clothes, these ads work. Now these bags and other such ads are everywhere, both reflecting the crafty idea to turn customers into walking billboards, as well as representing the number of people who respond to these advertisements. Even if the groups of people who shop there aren’t necessarily responding to the â€Å"sex sells† approach, they are still advocating it by buying Abercrombie as well as other stores that use sexuality in ads. It is rare to find someone that outwardly objects to this form of advertising; people have come to accept that this has become commonplace in the world of advertisement. This was not always the case though; the prevalence of this style of advertising is fairly new, only starting in the past 10 to 20 years. The difference between advertisements now and in the 60s is one that is shocking when considered in a side-by-side comparison. These are two advertisements for the same company: Levi’s jeans. The left one is from the 1960’s whereas the right is a recent ad for a new style of jean that Levi’s has created. Right away it is apparent thatShow MoreRelatedEssay about Sexuality, Ideologies, and Gender Roles in Advertising1937 Words   |  8 PagesFor as long as advertising and mass media have been around, so has their incorporation of sexuality and ideologies. Day after day we are plastered by articles, images, and audible forms of advertising. I would estimate that the average person encounters between fifteen hundred and three thousand forms of advertising each and every day. Of those fifteen hundred to three thousand, it would be safe to say that more than two thirds of them portray sexuality and socially constructed ideals. 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