To Sell Sex or Not To Sell Sex: I wish I could look like that

An interesting documentary and segue into the issue of sex, gender, and advertising:

Let's start off by watching this clip:

When looking at the video results for the axe commercial, it is statistically more appealing and most watched by/popular with males between the ages of 45-54, followed by males between 35-44, and finally males between 25-34 years of age. Does this commercial tell men that if they use the axe product they will have an easier time attracting beautiful women? In the commercial, yes, but in reality, this would probably not be the case. Herein lies the problematic of advertising...the creation of false stereotypes in order to sell a particular product. Is it affective? CERTAINLY! Advertising in essence, depends on stereotypes because stereotypes convey information or messages within the confines of a thirty second commercial.

In lecture it was stated that advertising and the messages that it conveys to the audience ultimately serve to objectify, commodify, and victimize young women. Young women are bombarded by advertisements that continually portray 'the perfect woman' - proportionately perfect body with an immaculate face...blemishes are unheard of in the advertising industry. By using ideal and often times photoshopped women, advertisements create 'desire', 'want', and the need to adhere to created gender stereotypes. Gender stereotypes, then, can be considered social or cultural constructs of sexual identity. 

So what does this mean for women and for men? Two words: Perpetual dissatisfaction. In an earlier blog post, I talked about the concept of perpetual dissatisfaction, which was found in Mary Jo Leddy’s book entitled Radical Gratitude. Originally referred to a perpetual dissatisfaction that pertained to obtaining material goods, the concept of perpetual dissatisfaction can also be applied to being dissatisfied with one's appearance in comparison to the ideal appearance of a woman or a man in an advertising campaign. I feel that this dissatisfaction with one's own appearance leads mainstream culture to desire what is unrealistically portrayed in advertisements. Young women, in particular, are victims of this type of culture. Poor eating habits, extreme dieting, lack of self-efficacy, self-worth, and self-esteem are all consequences, which in turn can, in some circumstances, lead to mental illnesses such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.  


Here are some interesting advertisements that I was able to find:


          

Apparently sex even sells toilet paper: