You Don’t Need to Take Sex Out of Advertising

When doing any kind of research into sexism and advertising, this is likely to be one of the first advertisements you come across:

It’s practically the staple when it comes to sexist and offensive ads. It’s been widely labeled as “gang rape” and when my roommate looked over my shoulder at my computer screen, she asked me if I was watching porn. The ad was quickly pulled and replaced with a more tasteful one (shown below), which continues to use sex to sell their brand.

To most, sex appeal in advertising is seen as a step backwards, a regression from the progress feminist movements have worked so hard to achieve.  But it can also be seen as quite the opposite.

“Where the first ad shows a disgusting and demeaning sexist gang rape, the latter portrays a woman in control, while still being very sexy. The second ad is a perfect example of how we can move towards a calmer and more user-friendly approach to feminism and marketing. Instead of “in your face sexism”, why not attempt a more widely accepted use of sexuality: a woman in control of her sexuality” – Courtney Christman (from Mainstreethost Digital Marketing)

Sexual appeal in advertising is an age-old tactic and one that is not likely to go away anytime in the near future (or distant future either for that matter).

The role of a marketer is to generalize and to stereotype. Marketers group people together into categories and then come to general assumptions about that category. An ideal target market can’t encompass everyone and an advertisement can’t appeal to everyone, and nor should it. The simple fact of the matter though, is that sex sells. And the whole purpose of marketing, is to sell. If your targeting a group of 20-something males, it’s biological for them to react to a scantily clad woman on a billboard. Again, focusing on a generalized group and the most common reaction.

Marketing deals with generals. It deals with majorities. And it deals with stereotypes. That’s how they make money. That’s how they sell their product. Is it necessarily “right” or “fair” to do so? Is it even ethically sound to appeal to biological reactions in advertising? Well those are whole other topics in need of discussion. But for now, that’s just how it is. And we need focus on, and work with what we’ve got.

Now as a marketer myself, I personally have no problem with this grouping, targeting, generalizing, or even using sex appeal in advertising to sell. However, the problem I see lies when marketing targets specific demographics at the expense of others. Using the D&G ads as an example, both are using sex to target men and sell a product. However, the first one targets men at the expense of women and feminists everywhere. And according to Christman, it “discredits all the advances we have made as women, is disgusting, and quite frankly, shows a lack of ingenuity”.

Marketing history has had a tendency to depict women as sex objects, and in order to combat this, the argument has been made to take sex out of media & advertising all together. But instead of pretending that women aren’t seen as sexual beings, women need to take the reigns and regain control. According to Christman, once we can accept and own the fact that we will always be viewed as sexual creatures, we can understand and embrace calmer, more user-friendly ads.

The solution is not to get rid of sexual advertising entirely, but to portray women as strong, powerful, and in control of their sexuality. Women shouldn’t ignore sex in advertising; they should exploit it. Women being seen sexually is no longer something that can be realistically combated. It’s already engrained and rooted in the minds of society. Now, it’s all about what we can do with that fact. Christman argues that “a new wave of feminist marketing should welcome being seen in a sexual way, as long as we are portrayed in a strong, confident manner”. And I couldn’t agree more.

“Instead of tearing women down for choosing to emphasize their sexuality, we should be accepting their choice to be strong, sexy women. “

It’s starry-eyed to believe that we can change centuries of sexualized female perceptions. So let’s not. Yes, we are sexual beings. But no, you do not control it. It is my choice, our choice, to display our sexuality however we deem fit.