By Myriah Saulnier

Women and Men Represented in Advertisements Advertisements use sexuality to grab the consumers attention, for good or evil, to help persuade them to buy their products. Biological, emotional and spiritual sexuality helps to sell products positively. For example, showing a strong bond between a couple might create a sense of happiness and hope for a consumer wishing to use a dating website. Though most advertisers use sexuality negatively and sometimes take things too far. They make and send stereotypical views and messages to consumers along with their products. Sometimes creating controversial ads just to get attention. While both genders are feeling the pressure to be like those represented in ads who are impossibly beautiful, perfect and envious individuals, women are still the main focus for sexual attention. Women are usually seen as an item of sexual desire, and wanting to please men… or needy and powerless without them. This isn’t a very positive message and idea, especially noting that many women out there are very successful and independent: does that make them weird?... No matter the product, one can usually find something suggestive or subliminally sexual in every female advertisement, proving how the woman has truly become identified by her sexuality. Men are seen as strong, powerful and financially stable. It is clear that most advertisements try and send the message that males are the more dominant gender. But do we blame the commercials for creating these social standards, or do we blame our social standards for creating these commercials?

Woman in a sexualized manner

The product being sold is Budweiser beer. The target audience for this advertisement would be men of drinking age (18-19+), any race or socio-economic level, but excluding cultures that have limitations on alcohol consumption. The underlying message being sold is that women love selling sex, and when you buy this product the women comes with it-which clearly isn’t the case. It’s an obvious message because the women is created to be beautiful and not wearing anything but beer bottle caps. I disagree with this message because I can make the distinction between selling sex and selling beer, and this ad wants to do both. I do believe that people love when women sell sex through advertising, but maybe not the women themselves. I think it’s awfully degrading, but definitely gets the target audience’s attention. The aspect of human sexuality it’s appealing to is purely physical. It wants to attract the male target audience and it does just that. It’s a negative portrayal of sexuality because it tries to prove that women are only sexy with their clothes off, and that beer is the best with a women to come with it.

The woman in the Budweiser ad is completely naked, but has beer bottle caps barely covering her private spots. The only objects in the picture are the beer bottle in her hand, and the thousands of beer bottle caps she’s laying on and covering her. They’re placed that way to basically send the message that all you need is beer and a naked woman… This ad is using irrelevant sexualisation to try and sell alcohol, even though beer has nothing to do with sex. The woman’s body is being marketed as well as Budweiser beer itself. As seen below, men in Budweiser advertisements are seen much differently. They are still seen as attractive, but they are dressed and referred to as superior, or “King”.

Men in a sexualized manner

The product being sold by this ad is men’s Calvin Klein underwear. The target audience is men of any race, most likely ages 16-25, middle-class or even higher because it’s such a popular brand name. The obvious message being sold is that if you buy and wear Calvin Klein underwear, you will have the attitude and look of the man in the ad, which is desirable to women. He looks tough and has a nice body which makes men envy him. I disagree that a pair of underwear will able you to have a certain attitude or look that will change what women think of you. Most people won’t even see what’s underneath your clothes and those who do, probably won’t care about the brand. The aspect of human sexuality being appealed to is again, just physical. This is definitely a negative portrayal of sexuality because it is trying to prove that only men with shaped bodies and attitudes can be considered attractive or wanted.

The man in the picture is wearing nothing but a pair of Calvin Klein briefs and a hat backwards. He is grabbing his crotch while making a face and giving off lots of attitude. Although underwear can be linked to sex, Calvin Klein ads seem to exaggerate sexuality to attract consumers. These are some of the other unnecessary sexualized ads from them:

Couple in sexualized manner

The product being sold is Calvin Klein jeans. The target audience for this ad are both men and women, most likely ages 18+, any race, but a middle-class or higher level to be able to afford label jeans. The underlying message being sold is that men dominating women this way is sexy and natural, and wearing these jeans will make you this desirable. The message is quite obvious because the people in the ad are completely sexualized, half naked, and groping each other. I believe that we are taught to agree with this message by the social ideals we see and hear about almost everyday. I think that it is sexy and natural for either sex to dominate the other during a sexual relationship, but that they should be more or less equal and always comfortable. Women shouldn’t be afraid to take charge of men and men shouldn’t feel less attractive if they let them during any part of a relationship…They shouldn’t let these kinds of messages define who they are. The part of human sexuality being appealed to is physical, showing two individuals wrapped up in lust instead of such a strong emotion like love. I believe it’s a negative portrayal of sexuality because even though there might be a number of people who want just a physical relationship or tinge of excitement, there are much more who want something more. People should crave sharing a special connection with someone, but one that they can spend their life with, instead of just a night or two. A message like that should be portrayed in ads more positively and more frequently, instead of the millions of ads that cover lust and being single having fun.

The women is in an erotic and contorted position, yet the man is portrayed as serious and brooding. She is laying on top of him topless, while he lays his hands on her. They are both equally far away from the camera but because the girl is on top, we see most of her body and less of the man’s. Juxtaposition is used to convey the meaning that the man should be the dominating figure during sexual activity, and the women should be obedient to his wishes: no matter how uncomfortable she is. The woman is definitely more eroticized than the man, depicted in a very contorted, exaggerated position. This is also known as “clowning”. The message I receive about this relationship is that it is very sexual and clear to who is in charge. The woman looks silly in this position, and the man looks aggressive and powerful. This is certainly a scary depiction of any relationship or sexuality, as there doesn’t seem to be much connection or real passion for each other. Instead it is replaced with power and lust.

Couple in a more positive manner

The product being sold is Crest’s scope toothpaste. The target audience for this ad would be any race or gender, teenagers and older who are interested in keeping teeth clean and minty fresh. Couples or active singles may be more targeted than others because they will be in close contact with others, as displayed in this very ad. The value being sold is that using the toothpaste keeps your breath fresh for close encounters, even after consuming the traditional “bad breath makers”. It’s obvious because the man and the women are both holding a coffee in their hand, yet still are close together – and happy. I agree that good breath is never bad, but isn’t a complete necessity if you really want to be close with someone. The aspect of emotional sexuality is being appealed to in this ad. It expresses profound feelings of love and trust, as they are both smiling in each others eyes while holding each other delicately close. This is a positive portrayal of sexuality as it shows what seems to be love between a husband and wife. It’s cute and shows a powerful bond between two people who are happy.

The couple in this ad are both sitting close enough to touch, their heads rested on each other while gazing into each other’s eyes. The man has his finger delicately placed on her chin as they both smile. They are both equally placed from each other and in the ad. Juxtaposition is used to place the coffee’s in front of the couple and in the lady’s grasp, to show that they are drinking it while still being irresistible enough to kiss. The clock in the background behind them has the Crest Scope toothpaste pointing at the 5, representing that your breath feels fresh “five times longer” actually 5 hours after you brush. Even though that’s not guaranteed or actually mentioned, it’s implied. The message I receive about this relationship is that they might be married, yet still extremely close and happy together. They look like they really love each other and enjoy being in each other’s company. They look very equal and that they might both share the power in their relationship. This is an extremely positive depiction of relationships and sexuality, showing that there can be equality and happiness between two individuals that are together. The message compliments couples who have found something really special together and able to be happy. It gives hope to those who are wishing to find it and have doubted if it exists.