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Jakob123 · Posted: 14 Dec 2003, 5:42 pm Post subject: Sick of "Sex Sells"

I am so sick of flipping through a magazine like Out or the Advocate only to see ad after ad of naked people selling everything from books to vacations. I can see an underwear ad or two but to sell insurance, beer, or even Tylenol PM? Come on. If homosexuals don't want to be judged solely on their sexuality then why do these magazines allow these companies to shove it down our throats like they do. Do we need to see a half naked man or woman to buy medicine? No. Any "hetero" magazine would frown at these ads. So what's the problem?

anony · Joined: 01 May 2003 Posts: 18

melis · Joined: 19 Dec 2003 Posts: 1

iynque · Posted: 24 Dec 2003, 12:28 pm Post subject:

I think it's fairly obvious why advertisers use so much sexuality in their ads: Sex sells. Usually, the goal is to use as much sex as you can get away with under the law and that will be appropriate to your audience. In other words, while a nearly naked person would be inapropriate for children's Tylenol, it grabs the attention of anyone who might buy extra strength Tylenol.

Since the reason for using sex in ads is so obvious, the only thing left to discuss is why not to use sex in ads.

I think it's degrading to the people in the ads and the people like them. It causes us to objectify humanity and reduces the worth of human beings. We all look at eachother as sex objects; our first thoughts about a person tend to be something like "He's got a great body," "She's pretty cute," etc. The world would probably be a better place if we could remove the over-sexed advertising of a perfect world that none of us will ever be a part of (BECAUSE IT JUST DOESN'T EXIST) and we instead could look at a person for who they really are without the sole focus on their sexuality.

However, 'how the world should be' and 'how the world is' are two very different things. Advertising with sex is cheap, easy, and effective, three very important things when dealing with mass media. It would be nice to reduce the amount of sex in media, but it would be more reasonable in the real world to establish an emphasis on the responsible use of it.

As for the "Why can't I get no naked lesbians 'round here" comment, how about instead we just STOP EXPLOITING PEOPLE, rather than fighting for equal degradation.
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Osvaldo · Posted: 24 Dec 2003, 1:54 pm Post subject: Sex sells...

Well, sex does sell and not all advertisement (albeit a good number of them are about selling sex) are about selling sex. The best example out there right now would probably be the Bridgestone Tire ads both in Advocate and Out Magazines among others. First they feature both lesbian and gay version of the same ad and two they are fulling clothed.

But you in the long run, half naked people are the majority of most advertisements, but thats not exclusively a queer thing....I see it all the time in straight magazines, too.

Well thats my two cents,

Osvaldo Del Valle, MA.
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Osvaldo Del Valle, M.A.

anony · Joined: 01 May 2003 Posts: 18

iynque · Posted: 7 Jan 2004, 8:54 pm Post subject:

anony · Joined: 01 May 2003 Posts: 18

Hi Iynque,

You're certainly right that sexy ads are exploitative if exploitation is defined as:

1. To employ to the greatest possible advantage: exploit one's talents.
or
3. To advertise; promote.

But . . .

meaning number 2 is a stretch.

I don't see any unfairness, lack of ethics, or selfishness in marketers who choose to use racy images in their ads. When they do it successfully, they're being effective marketers and when they do it unsuccessfully then they're being ineffective marketers, but they're not being "good" or "bad." I don't see any more ethical problems with naked torsos than I do with product shots.