Sex in Advertising

Written by Amber Whitman-Currier

It is no surprise that sex is a part of advertising. Companies have realized that sex sells! However, there is a fine line when it comes to putting it into campaigns. It needs to be done with a certain amount of taste and not in a crude manner.  In fact, there have been boycotts and angry consumers protesting against some companies. One such company is the popular Abercrombie and Fitch. Their ads have involved nudity and are considered completely inappropriate for the teen consumer base which they are targeting.

The fact is that sex in advertising has been around for a very long time. Now ads feature not only women but men as well in scantily clad outfits or no clothes at all. Sex in ads dates back as far as 1874.  However, there are many in our societies who have strong opinions on the subject. Religious groups consider it obscene. Feminists think it objectifies women. Many feel it reinforces sexism. We know that sexual images definitely attract the male gender. However, then it turns into something referred to as “the vampire effect.” This is when the sexual picture actually draws the attention away from the message of the ad itself. However, women have become more interested in sex and in some cases can be just as erotic as men.

Sex has been used to sell many different products like perfume, cosmetics, clothing and more.  It is all about making the product more appealing with the use of a sexual image. It is meant to draw the consumer attention to the advertisement. This type of advertising is even more important because the market including television, magazines and billboards are flooded with erotic images. The fact is that men tend to think about sex constantly. In fact, the estimate is 8 times a minute!  We as women want to be the object of the men’s attention. So men and women will buy whatever the product is that will ultimately get them to their goal.