Sex in Advertising Melanie Phillips

Depicting Women in a Sexual Manner

Q: What is the product being sold? A: The product being sold is Calvin Klein women’s bras. Q: Who is the target audience for this ad? A: The audience is women 17 and older, people who would buy this companies bras. It also attract the eye of men. Q: What underlying message or value is being sold by the ad? It is obvious or subliminal? A: The message of this ad is to show women how great they could look in their bras. If you bought a Calvin Klein bra you could be just like the women in the ad. This message is pretty obvious to the viewer. Q: Do you agree/disagree with this message? A: I disagree with this message, just because you might buy this bra, your body wont change to look like the models. Q: Which aspect of human sexuality is being appealed to? (Emotional/Physical? Spiritual? Biological?) A: This ad is appealing to the physical aspect of human sexuality. They are showing a physically attractive women who other women would want to look like, and a women who is attractive to a lot of men. Q: Is this a positive or negative portrayal of sexuality? A: This is a negative portrayal of sexuality because the reason it is attractive to the eye is because the model is mostly naked. They are showing a unreasonable image to the audience.

Depicting Men in a Sexual Manner

Q: What is the product being sold? A: The product that is being sold is Viktor&Rolf Spicebomb men’s cologne. Q: Who is the target audience for this ad? A: The target audience is men who can afford expensive cologne. Q: What underlying message or value is being sold by the ad? It is obvious or subliminal? A: The underlying message that is being sold is that if you use this companies cologne you could look as attractive as the man in the advertisement. The message is obvious. Q: Do you agree/disagree with this message? A: I disagree with this message. They used an attractive man to make their product look like the user of the product will be like the man they used. People will pay a lot of money for the cologne just to make themselves feel better about themselves. Q: Which aspect of human sexuality is being appealed to? (Emotional/Physical? Spiritual? Biological?) A: The ad is appealing to the physical aspect of human sexuality. They use a physically attractive male to attract people to the advertisement. They show a man who most men would want to look like, so they use that product to be at least a little bit like this guy. Q: Is this a positive or negative portrayal of sexuality? A: This is a negative portrayal of sexuality because the only reason someone would want this product because they are showing a shirtless man holding the product.

Depicting a Couple in a Sexual Manner

Q: What is the product being sold? A: The product being sold is both men's and women’s Dolce and Gabbana perfume. Q: Who is the target audience for this ad? A: The target audience is both men and women. Most likely in their 20’s to 30’s who are higher class because this brand of perfume is expensive. Q: What underlying message or value is being sold by the ad? It is obvious or subliminal? A: The message of this ad is that if you buy this brand of perfume, you will be attractive to the opposite sex. It can make your relationship better. I think this message is obvious because it shows a couple laying around together. Q: Do you agree/disagree with this message? A: I disagree with this message, just because you have their product you wont have the unrealistic body of the models. Q: Which aspect of human sexuality is being appealed to? (Emotional/Physical? Spiritual? Biological?) A: This ad appeals the physical aspect of human sexuality. It is showing an attractive couple, inferring that getting this product will make you like the models in the ad. Q: Is this a positive or negative portrayal of sexuality? A: This is a negative portrayal of sexuality, showing a couple wearing barely any clothing laying around in a gorgeous location. They are using an attractive couple for people to purchase their product.

Q: What is the women doing? A: She is laying on her stomach, resting her head on the mans shoulder. Q: What is the man doing? A: The man is sitting up, not touching the woman. Q: Who is in the foreground? A: They are both equal in their positioning, the mans legs are towards the camera but doesn’t really put him in the foreground. The perfume bottles are in the front. Q: How is juxtaposition used to convey meaning? A: Juxtaposition is used to convey the meaning that if you wear that perfume you can be happy with an attractive person of the opposite sex. Q: Is the women or man placed beside objects that send out specific messages? A: Both perfume bottles are placed in front of the women’s body, but I don’t think it sends out any specific message because they are selling both men's and women’s perfume. Q: Who is active? A: While both models are just laying there, I would say the women is more active because she is laying her head on the man. Q: Who is not? A: The man isn’t active because he is just letting the woman lay on him while he just looks at the camera. Q: Is one person more eroticized than the other? A: I don’t think either is more eroticized than the other because neither are looking at each other or really acknowledge the other.

Q: What is the message you receive about this relationship? A: The message I receive about this relationship is that they are not very close with each other, they are awkward but they definitely aren’t very comfortable together. They are probably supposed to seem natural but something about it makes them seem uncomfortable. Q: Who has the power in this relationship? A: I’m not sure who has the power between the two. Neither of the two stand out more than the other because neither of them are closer to the camera and neither are really paying attention to the other. Q: Is this a positive or negative depiction of relationships and sexuality? A: I find this is a negative depiction of relationships and sexuality, because its showing two attractive models laying together, showing that in a relationship its all about sexuality because neither of them are wear a lot of clothing.

Depicting a couple in a positive manner

Q: What is the product being sold? A: The product being sold is Burberry clothing Q: Who is the target audience for this ad? A: The target audience for this would be men or women who can afford expensive clothing. Q: What underlying message or value is being sold by the ad? It is obvious or subliminal? A: The underlying message is that if you buy these clothes you could look as put together and well dressed as the two models in the advertisement are. Q: Do you agree/disagree with this message? A: I can see how this message is going towards who they are marketing to with out having people wearing next to no clothes and posing seductively, so I do agree with how they portrayed the message in the ad. Q: Which aspect of human sexuality is being appealed to? (Emotional/Physical? Spiritual? Biological?) A: Once again the physical aspect of human sexuality is being appealed to. Just because the two are wearing clothes it doesn’t mean people aren't draw to how the models look. Q: Is this a positive or negative portrayal of sexuality? A: I think this is a positive portrayal of sexuality because the two while being attractive, don’t have to be sprawled out showing as much skin as acceptable while wearing as little clothing as acceptable.

Q: What is the women doing? A: The women is standing looking at the camera with her hands in her pockets. Q: What is the man doing? A: The man is doing the same as the women. Q: Who is in the foreground? A: Neither of the two are closer to the front. So they are equal in positioning. Q: How is juxtaposition used to convey meaning? A: Juxtaposition is used to convey the meanig that if you wear Burberry clothing, you could look as well dressed and put together as either of the models. Q: Is the women or man placed beside objects that send out specific messages? A: The product is being worn by both the man and women. Q: Who is active? A: Both the models are equally as active, neither really draws my eye to them more than the other. Q: Is one person more eroticized than the other? A: I don’t find either of the people erotically posing. Both are very calm and not drawing attention to themselves, while people still are drawn to them. Q: What is the message you receive about this relationship? A: The message I receive is that the two are not very close, but are very well dressed and are going out together.