Ad round-up: Advertising as mainstream porn
Jean Kilbourne has had it right for years. She said that “advertisements are America’s real pornographer” and ads have made porn mainstream.
We owe her immense gratitude for shifting the lens on advertising and making advertising a subject of inquiry to take seriously. I’ve been influenced, inspired and indebted to her since I saw Killing Us Softly 3: Advertising’s Image of Women in 2001. I mean, I’d been a feminist for nearly a decade at that point, studying the mass media for approximately 6 years and I knew advertisers weren’t exactly the most noble of folks. Advertisers have always been in existence to sell a product by any means necessary.
But to see ad after ad, reinforcing the same images and themes over and over again was mind blowing. Her film was the final piece of the puzzle. I continued to examine and collect ads in the same way Kilbourne did at the beginning of her inquiry decades before.
Each semester my students collect and deconstruct ads. In my newly created class, Women and Popular Culture (my dream class if you will), Anita Sarkeesian of Feminist Frequency created a blog for the students and myself to share our observations, thoughts and create a collective resource base and solidify the community. It is in this incredible virtual space that my students posted 3 ads they chose to deconstruct. Kristin E. caught on to the intensity of these advertising messages after seeing one after the other posted, creating an eerie and pornified collage. She took it upon herself to take many of the images the class had posted and put them together. After all these years, to examine the ads in this way, is still shocking and disturbing.
Take a peek.
NOTE: Edited April 16, 2010 after several people emailed me about the spoof ad in the round-up. I’m glad some people are paying attention and are already familiar with ad spoofs and culture jamming. Can *you* spot the spoof ad? Do you know who created it? Answer below in the comments.
Keep it up assholes, people vote with their dollars. I won’t buy your products for obvious reasons. If I pick up a magazine with your absurd ads, I realize it’s a men’s magazine and has nothing to do with women, period.
Comment by Beepath — April 4, 2010 @ 6:06 am
They are all equally disturbing. The BK 7 incher complete with blow up doll…WTF?!
Comment by Kerith — April 15, 2010 @ 10:34 pm
The spoof ad is the Obsession for Men ad created by AdBusters. https://www.adbusters.org/ You can find more of their spoof ads here: https://www.adbusters.org/gallery/spoofads In addition to checking out their website and the magazine by the same name, pick up Culture Jam by Kalle Lasn.
Comment by Melanie — April 16, 2010 @ 1:43 pm
I was pretty sure that it was the Calvin Klein ad too, but I am actually hoping for *surprise*, they all are…
Comment by Not Guilty — April 16, 2010 @ 2:42 pm
That would be super, wouldn’t it?
Comment by Melanie — April 16, 2010 @ 3:06 pm
[...] to follow only contains 4 women. And take a look at this very disturbing documentation of mainstream advertising porn as [...]
Pingback by Feminist Peace Network » Blog Archive » Delusion By Exclusion–The Damaging Impact Of Global Media Misogyny — April 19, 2010 @ 4:11 am
Thank you for this eye-opener. I haven’t read any mainstream magazines in years so this was even more of a shock to me than perhaps to many women. It makes me wonder if for most women it’s a case of the frog in the slowly heating water, otherwise why aren’t they rioting in the streets? Or at least do what I did over ten years ago: boycott the whole disgusting lot of them.
I have worn makeup exactly once since 1994; on my wedding day. I buy all my clothes (except underpants) at Goodwill or garage sales. I refuse to spend any money on the people who tell women what to wear and what to look like. Now, seeing what you have shown me today I realise that the magazines I’ve been boycotting are not just greedy and manipulative, they are evil. These ads are not just pornographic, they’re sadistic. Boycott all of them!
Comment by margo liebers — April 19, 2010 @ 9:23 am
Margo, like you, I stopped watching television for 12 years and I found that limiting my level of media exposure changed my perspective drastically. We do have the ability to make conscious choices and become critical and conscious (in other words, media literate) citizens that are not programmed to go with the latest trend or get sucked into the media’s constructed images.
Because the media is with us from, essentially, the time we are born, these images do not strike most individuals as unusual or surprising. They have become normative and expected, or at least unremarkable. That’s why placing them all together provides an impact that is often lost otherwise. The images that stand out are the ones that deviate from the norm and seem surprising: a curvy woman, a woman without make-up. This is the topic for my new post that will be published today at the Ms. Magazine blog.
Comment by Melanie — April 19, 2010 @ 9:44 am
Advertisements are constantly telling women who they are and who they should be. The first thing that these advertisements are telling women is to be the “ideal woman.” This “ideal woman” is perfect. This woman is beautiful and exquisite. These women are also extremely thin. These advertisements consist of women and ideas of women that do not exist. They paint the picture of the perfect woman. The ideal woman has an extremely thin and toned body; she is gorgeous, and in a nutshell utterly perfect. But for the most part this perfect, ideal woman does not exist.
Comment by Joshua. S — October 21, 2010 @ 9:29 pm
This compilation of images is truly reflective of the advertising industry: empowering for men and degrading for women. The Burger King and Tom Ford ads especially shook me to the core. Is THIS really necessary to sell products? This issue truly reflects what capitalism has done to society’s collective moral conscience.
Comment by Jennifer Edgerton — October 24, 2010 @ 12:04 am
I agree with Jennifer. When I saw the Burger King ad I thought it was a joke because I never thought advertisers could get away with putting out something like that. It’s so ridiculous that ads like the ones above actually exist and there isn’t a bigger commotion about them. I wish that we all were more aware of the ads around us and the messages they send and that more people actually fought to get these kind of ads removed.
Comment by Melody J — October 24, 2010 @ 9:24 pm
Ads have become extremely sexual and they continue to do so and it has become the norm. Such ads are usually seen everywhere and unfortunately little children see them as well which are extremely inappropriate for their age and they tend to lose their innocence faster.
Comment by Dalal C. — October 26, 2010 @ 12:04 am
It is so sad to see that advertisement ads have become so sexual. Sex sells. Sex has become a business. It is so important to explain to our kids, siblings, and family that eventually will be exposed to these advertisements, about how not to let sexual ads/advertisements influence them.
Comment by Orel Farahmandfar — October 28, 2010 @ 12:12 pm
What I think is so interesting is that models actually allow themselves to be put in these situations. And no, these overly sexed pictures are NOT the models fault, but I wonder if I was asked to have my croch shaved in the shape of a Gucci emblem, would I do it? And if I did, would it be for art’s sake, my own sake, or infact the sake of the brand I was trying to sell. Half of these don’t even have the product that is being advertised at the forefront of the ad. The two that I found so offensive were the Docle and Gabbana one where a women model is being held down by one oily shirtless man, and four others watch (um hi, can anyone say date rape!?) and the BMW add where a man is making love to a woman’s body, but the face of a car….really!? That’s just playing dumb. Needless to say, these are infurating and make me want to boycot all of these companies for sheer lack of propriety not to mention common sense.
Comment by Karly R. — October 29, 2010 @ 9:54 am
As i do 100% agree with your post, i also tried to look at the view from the other side. Trying to sell a jacket on a “overweight” man or women wouldn’t sell compared to a “sexy” male or female. I guess the slogan is true, sex does sale, or at least reels in a lot more consumers.
Comment by David Merabi — November 1, 2010 @ 12:17 pm
Why do we have to use sex to sell a jacket?
Comment by Melanie — November 1, 2010 @ 12:24 pm
I have never really examined the extent of sexual vulgarity and such images that are emphasized through our media. This emphases on sex and female vulnerability has been an epidemic problem not only in America but around the world. We need to take action and stop these ads from getting out their in public, that eventually are killing young teens all over.
Comment by Delyla M. — November 2, 2010 @ 10:52 am
My reaction to the pictures was “Ha What?” I mean it is pretty direct what the captions in those ads are saying. The unfortunate part of all this is that minors will see this and wonder about it. Needless to say their curiosity could lead to unmoaral behaviour. Porn or any other sex-infused images should be private or at least in the hands of adults. Sex I beleive is something to keep private. But, to attract any customers, companies will do anything to sell. Yes, it is true sex does sell. These ads are reinforcing that idea.
Comment by David Ruano — November 19, 2010 @ 10:23 pm
Looking at these ads I am saddened because men are empowered and women are simply disregarded in our society today. Sex sells and so that is why every advertisement is based on. It is up to us to stop women and men from believing these dumb ads and teaching others to do the same. After all we are the ones who buy these magazines and watch these shows that only help keep these beliefs and views alive so if we stop paying attention to them they will have to go away and disappear, wont they??
Comment by Ariel Kasheri (wmst10scholars) — November 30, 2010 @ 10:30 am
Looking at these pictures I was horrified, and felt very uncomfortable and violated. I right away sent the link to the site to my friends so they can become aware of how disturbing the mass media is.
Comment by Leora Sheily — April 19, 2011 @ 6:19 pm
These ads are disturbing and extremely degrading. What troubles me further is that before I began looking at media through a critical lense, I was completely ignorant regarding advertisers’ propensity to link sex and demeaning women to sell their products. Now that I am more aware of this unfortunate reality, I am more conscious of the desperate measures advertisers will take to sell their products…at any cost. These threatening exploitations have extreme consequences, but it is apparent that these consequences are not a concern for those selling the product. Thank you for bringing this to our attention, I really do appreciate it.
Comment by Jennifer S. — April 26, 2011 @ 10:07 am
Not only do these ads help me become more aware of what this patriarchal society wants us Women to be, but it just reminds me that people need to wake up and step outside of this paradigm that isn’t serving young women well. This is the reason why anyone who has female consciousness that wants
to make an impact of spreading female beauty from within.
Comment by melani dg — May 16, 2011 @ 3:12 pm
All of these ads are downright obscene and the fact they are allowed to run without some sort of censorship is shocking. At least with porn it is sold to people 18 and over, with these ads any child can see them at a very early age and even have their views of sexuality distorted if cultivated enough.
Comment by Shawn S — June 1, 2011 @ 5:35 pm
I am really amazed when I see such vulgar and sexist images. I don’t watch TV, I don’t read fashion magazines; and, if a billboard is in my sight, I immediately analyze and dissect its meaning. When I happen to view these medias, it’s always through a highly critical lens. I always ask myself what the world will come to next? What will advertisements look like ten, fifty, a hundred years from now? Presently, most images degrade women and upgrade men to greater heights of material possession and success. If we keep allowing these images to continue, then what will be next? It’s like we have a choice right now to object and speak up against them before they continue to grossly evolve.
Comment by Nilu V. — November 6, 2011 @ 1:43 pm
These types of overly sexual ads have become normal for society. For this reason, the ads shown above do not surprise me as much as they, in a new light, open my eyes to the problems with such a uncensored display of sex, eliciting sexual emotions from observers and catching consumer attention in the wrong way. Companies are obviously still abiding by the “sex sells” motto.
Comment by Tiffany Majdipour — November 12, 2011 @ 4:30 pm
The ads shown above are not that shocking to me since i have grown up in a society where sex is everywhere. high end fashion houses constantly use overly sexual images for their campaigns, and as a result society will use them to set the standards of beauty.
Comment by Jorge Garcia — November 22, 2011 @ 1:05 pm
All of these advertisements share one thing in common: objectifying women as sexual objects. The women in these ads are portrayed in ways that men feel are hot, attractive, and desirable, as reflected in mainstream media. They reinforce hegemonic masculinity as well as a patriarchal way of thinking in our society. It’s no wonder why people who support patriarchy believe that these notions of the norm.
Comment by Bridget T. — December 6, 2011 @ 10:39 am
The advertisements are pornographic. They leave absolutely nothing to the imagination and sexualize women. I find all of these ads disgusting, there seems to be no limits to what the media can produce and its sickening. Not mention I found it really disturbing how women are being dominated sexually in these ads and depicted on their knees , subordinate to the men in the ads.
Comment by Chloe Shenassa (women studies 10 scholars) — December 6, 2011 @ 6:42 pm
While I had been familiar with how, far, the media was beginning to push it with their ads, seeing a collage like this one really puts everything into perspective. Sex might sell, but this is taking things to whole different level. People talk in this country about a so called moralistic high ground, but ads like this continue to gloss page after page, because the cats at the top keep raking in the green.
Comment by Nisha CM — January 22, 2012 @ 10:50 pm
Pretty gross! It’s sad that advertisements have gone this far and are this desperate that they are not just selling sex, but using it as mainstream porn. Really though now young men will have this vision/standard of a women to perform like these models and to look like them. It’s IMPOSSIBLE. can anyone say “Fake”. This mainstream media is pushing it to the limit, and they are not going to stop. These ads are now teaching girls from a very young age to look like this, be sexual like this in order to fix the norm, and to be popluar with the boys. The bosses letting all this go down, they dont care. It’s all about the money to them.
Comment by Sarah R. — January 24, 2012 @ 9:51 am
WOW!! Not to single out Tom Ford because every one of these images shocked my senses but in my mind Tom Ford not only promotes the objectification and degradation of women but also pedophilia … Indeed the model is being intimate with another object and appears to be childlike given her complete lack of pubic hair. I’m left wondering why they didn’t go ahead and insert the bottle directly into the model’s vagina (there I said it) with a byline that says “the very essence of a woman but made for a man.” Those are certainly the thoughts and images these ads are meant to provoke so why leave the interpretation up to the idiotic and salacious public as that is certainly what they must think of their target audience or they wouldn’t place such derogatory and condescending ads in the first place.
Comment by willemina v. — January 26, 2012 @ 2:11 pm
Does anyone remember the movie “The Stepford Wives”? Perhaps it was made before most of you were born. It was released in 1975, but has since been re-made. The original movie is the one you need see, if you haven’t already. It will blow you away and scare the wholly daylights out of you. The movie was based on a novel written by Ira Levin in 1972. The title comes from the fictional town of “Stepford”, Connecticut, and revolves around the wives who live there. The main character is a talented photographer who moves to Stepford from New York City with her husband and children. As time goes on, she becomes increasingly frightened by the zombie-like, submissive Stepford wives, especially when she sees her once independent-minded woman friend, also a new arrival to Stepford, turn into a mindless, docile housewife overnight. Her husband, who spends a great deal of time at the local men’s club, makes fun of her fears. But she becomes convinced that the wives of Stepford are being poisoned or brainwashed into submission by the men’s club. She visits the library and reads up on the past lives of the Stepford’s wives, finding out some of these women were once feminist activists and very successful professionals. Whereas, the leader of the men’s club is a former Disney engineer and others are artists and scientists, capable of creating life-like robots. Her friend helps her investigate, going so far as to write to the EPA to inquire about possible environmental toxins in Stepford. And then, overnight, her friend loses all interest and becomes robot-like. That is when she decides to flee Stepford.
These days, the label “Stepford wife” is usually applied to a woman who seems to conform blindly to an old-fashioned subservient role in relationship to her husband, compared to other, more independent women. Anyway the point I’m trying to make is that we are all being systematically brainwashed with these pornographic advertisements, not just women, but men as well, and most importantly, our children. Remember that old saying, ‘Monkey see, Monkey do!’ Well, children mimic their environment. Over time, people begin to believe this is normal behavior and become indifferent. Additionally, these ads are becoming more and more frequent and brazen, with each one trying to top the one before it. However, seeing all these photos together is a real awakening, has opened my eyes and hit me hard – what are we doing to ourselves? We need to snap out of this insanity before it’s too late and we all become “Stepfordicated”!
Comment by Suzy D — January 27, 2012 @ 3:47 pm
I do agree that ads has made mainstream porn. but we cannot deny that many people are interested in that kind of porn ads. In the ads, people would like to use women as their models. and many of them are nude. People love to see women with no clothes. and women were degraded in the ads.
Comment by Lam Yan Yee — January 30, 2012 @ 11:21 pm
I really think that the oversexualization of advertising today has gotten out of hand. Some of those ads were downright graphic and at best were highly suggestive. We all know what is going on when a women is covering herself in white paint, or has her mouth wide open around a phallic object. This is objectification at its worst and it is so widespread and prevalent in the mainstream media that I’m not to sure how it can be stopped. I think that the only way is if we as consumers band together and speak with our wallets. We must not purchase anything from these companies and ones like it that only use sex to sell. We must only support companies that advertise without sex or in a way that is not objectifying to women.
Comment by Rory O — February 4, 2012 @ 3:23 pm
At this time, these sexual ads are nothing and have become normal for society. But I am still shameful and shocking because frequently, I can’t see these kinds of ads in my country so I am not comfortable these ads.
Comment by Eun Hee Chung — February 4, 2012 @ 6:58 pm
These types of advertisements are so common today, that the audience of these ads and readers of these magazines are surprised when they don’t see something like this. It shows women in these sex crazed poses and positions to catch both the male and female audiences. Honestly as a man, it catches my attention and I can also say I like it. But, once I look into it, its not right what the women in these photo’s are put into and what message it sends to the kids that end up with these ads.
Comment by Gabriel Y. — February 5, 2012 @ 9:35 am
I have become so use to seeing these types of ads that to me its normal. But at the same time looking through some of these pics i can see that they also promote violence. Not only that most ads now a days have become more sexual that its not really noticeable unless u actually pay attention to them. I usually tend to ignore ads unless one or two grab my attention but i dont really give most ads attention. Women are just shown as pleasure to men and nothing else in these ads.
Comment by Guadalupe Y — February 5, 2012 @ 11:17 am
I look at magazines frequently and I am constantly exposed to advertisements, and it never really dawned on me that almost everything is about sex. Seeing this, I now naturally see it all coming out when I did not really notice it before as a kid. They are doing way too much now. Like the picture with the lady and the hamburger , and the lady using the bottle of alcohol to cover uo her vagina is way to extreme. Since I know they wont ever stop, they atleast need to tone it down a little bit. It is obvious now that they are associating sex with ads. Especially with the hamburger, it says it will blow your mind, its so obivious that they are representing oral sex which is not cool to be showing kids when they are going to burger king to get a happy meal. It is so obvious now, someone does not have to surf the internet to look at naked women, they can just look at these ads and fulfill their satisfaction. Very inappropriate.
Comment by Payne T — February 5, 2012 @ 2:36 pm
This is pretty disturbing and sad to see that women are the ones being more exposed then the guys. It sucks to see that the female body is seen as a sexual item. The guys are only shirtless and also portrayed as the dominant sex that have all the control over women. The models are the ones doing all these suxual things with their mouth and body, seen with very little clothes of not nude, and are being portrayed as the weak sex. Also, considering the younger viewers it might be very gross to them, therefore it is obvious that all these ads main purpose it to sell what ever it is that they are advertising by exposing sexually the item that are advertising.
Comment by Yesenia O — February 5, 2012 @ 5:09 pm
Let’s face it: Sex sells. We know this, but does that make it right? no not at all. After looking at this collage of ads my thoughts were “Did these woman not respect themselves?” I mean to each there own. But the ad with the woman with the magazine with the car on the pages and man on top…How and and why would woman want to be degraded like that? There are plenty of other ways to sell a product and I really don’t think we as women need to dumb our selves down or put our bodies up for anybody to use however they like just to get some attention or there 15 minutes of fame.
After taking this woman’s studies class I know pay close attention to all the ads in these mainstream magazines and how these ads constantly degrade woman to sell a product. Hopefully there will be change in the future.
Comment by Lori H — February 5, 2012 @ 5:28 pm
If there is one thing that I would share with anyone I’m holding a conversation with it would be Jean Kilbourne’s movie and what she shared that I have never ever actually thought about. These images that I’ve been seeing that been subconsciously harming me in ways that I wouldn’t notice and happen to only show very subtly. I noticed that as I was watching the movie I was becoming more and more aware of the little things that seemed to bug me but I really didn’t know the right things to say. I just knew it bothered me. Little did I know that it was pointing directly at what I am. Women. Heterosexual. Teen. They’ve been training me to have this idea of what I’m supposed to be and how I’m supposed to fulfill that. I thought the place we live in is about having freedom and having our own power in terms of our future. There’s an invisible shield formed around us to believe that we have opportunities and choices, but really we’re bound into a circle of chosen paths. In order to breakthrough is to be aware. First I was beginning to realize things that I have never even gave a second to think about. I now know the weak points to being a young heterosexual teen. The more I’m aware of the types of images that have been cultivated the more I’m able to have a sense of self identity. I can’t lose to the media. I just cant.
Comment by Crystina K — February 6, 2012 @ 10:53 am
I am literally lost for words. Seeing this made me really understand the hidden agenda of society. It hurts to know that in this society I have to receive the short hand of the stick by being a woman. It that even fair? I didn’t get to choose to be born a female nor did I choose to be targeted on by media. Just thinking about how much it offends me now I wonder even the harder things the women in the previous generations had to face. To me thses things may seem like it’s the worst thing that can possibly happen, but there is way more. Not only is it a problem because media is affecting me this way, but also knowing that my future kids and younger generations to come will have to one day just accept that if they are born female it will be perfectly alright to say “It’s okay it’s not actually hurting me physically.” What will I tell the younger ones when they say that? I would feel so hopeless into thinking how will I ever educate them to understand the implicit meanings of the society. It’s tricky yet so simple to understand. I cant even fathom what the process of that might even turn out to be like…
Comment by Jessica K — February 6, 2012 @ 11:58 am
This shouldn’t be an eye-opener for people in this generation. This is something that we have been around for most of our lives. “Sex” sells. Though people don’t agree with the way that companies post ads, do people still buy their products? Yes! All of these ads are geared directly towards men. Why would women let themselves be portrayed that way? The answer is most women will not let themselves be portrayed in such a manner. It’s that select few who allow themselves to be for some type of fame. The reason why there are ads like that is because women are willing to do so and advertisers are quick to pull the trigger. If this were to change, it starts from the bottom by people saying no.
Comment by Eleazar Capuz — February 6, 2012 @ 5:58 pm
Ads like above fill more than 50% of ads in a fashion magazine that college students read. We, women, accept the “sexy” images as beautiful and sophisticated because they are ads of high-end clothing, products, food, etc. When I look around people’s Facebook, I can see pictures posted that imitate the poses of the ads and comments complimenting how nice they look in the picture. It seems they don’t realize that such pornographic ads are degrading and condescending. This signifies how much we are saturated with pornographic images every day and everywhere,thus being desensitized to them, and how much we are ignorant of the media and messages they communicate. In addition, it is poignant to notice that people glorify big name designer goods and believe anything related to the name is worth idealization and recognition. So the ads and subliminal messages of Tom Ford, Dolce and Gabbana, Duncan Quinn, and Gucci are considered fashionable and trendy otherwise disgusting, pornographic, distasteful.
Comment by Jin Min — February 7, 2012 @ 1:25 am
The girl featured in the top Calvin Klein “jean” ad looks as if she has been drugged, the girl in the Dolce & Gabbana ad looks as if she is about to be gang raped and the girls in the Relish ad look as if they are being sexually harassed and getting off from it. These ads are shameful in my opinion and totally encouraging men to sexually harass women and that rape is okay and that it’s actually glamorous. What I really don’t understand are the women that are modeling for these companies. I understand it must be a big paycheck but what about your self-respect. Women need to stand up for themselves and not allow the fashion world or any other company put them into a position where they are disrespecting themselves. When we see these beautiful women in poses like these, we start to believe that it must be okay. But it’s not okay. I’m not sure if it’s because other women do not see it as a big deal, I mean women are obviously supporting these companies by buying their products. My sister named her dog Dolce after the brand Dolce & Gabbana and I bet if I were to show her the types of ads this brand makes that show women in degrading positions, she would still praise the brand, just how women all over the world still praise Chris Brown and his music after he physically abused a woman. Where has everyone’s self-respect gone? These ads are basically porn and people from a wide range of ages are seeing these. I know if you were to flip open any Vogue magazine there would be tons of images like these and children at any age can buy Vogue. I think that people need to boycott purchasing any products from these types of brands and companies until they change the way they want to sell their products. -D.O.
Comment by Destiny O — March 15, 2012 @ 3:06 pm
A few semesters ago, I took a class in the communications department called communication and the sexes. In the class we dissected some ads. It was very very eye opening to see how the advertizing people make women to be submissive in the ad’s. Also how women are sometimes dismantlement or weirdly displaces. Like their faces are covered, certain parts of the body cut off and other. It is really sad that advertizing has become to “porn” like. At the same time it is sad that we as consumers have become okay with things like these. We dont speak up, therefore others speak up for us as the consumers. It is defiantly very disturbing to go through some ads to see stuff like this. Completely unnecessary.
Comment by Brian C — March 27, 2012 @ 2:42 pm
Wow, looking at these ads I think to myself, is this what I want my children to look up too, and want to take after. It is very disturbing how everything around us is sold through sex and the image of sexy bodies. I sometimes wonder how these ads are very well related to porn, and why they are ok to be out in the open for everyone to see. I have done research on this exact topic a few years ago and I even found things like this in subliminal messages in Disney Cartons for young children. I feel like this is a sick world we are living in, and people cant help it but wish to have that body image advertised all over the place. I know advertisements come up with things to help them sell their items, why is almost everything has to have sex involved in order to sell. I personally don’t mind it as much for myself, but for the generations after us. I feel like if this it how product is being sold today, what will they do 1020 years from now. I hope that these ads would have a limit, and in the future try to make them PG13 if it is going to be all over the place.
Comment by Marianna B. — March 27, 2012 @ 7:15 pm
I think that it is hilarious that we are so taboo about sexuality and their is this great push for sex education to be taken out of our school systems yet we allow our children to go home and see commercials and read magazines with advertisement that have ovurt sexual implications. Advertisers have been known to sell anything through sexual images because after all, “Sex Sells.” It is not my belief that sex truly sells, in fact I tend to notice when there is a blatant sexual implication in advertisements, but in this country we have been bombarded with sexual images from the time we are very young. There is a very offensive add for a perfume just out called Lolita, by Marc Jacobs in which Dakota Fanning (still in here teens) is the face of the perfume. It just recently got banned but had already been advertised for a few weeks. The most blatant way to promote the seedy and most dispicable form of pornography which is child pornography. You would think that when they came up with this idea in the board room someone would have spoken up and said, “hey wait a minute… aren’t we pushing for child pornograhy?” Of course not because in the eyes of advertisers, SEX SELLS.
Comment by Nancy Rodriguez — March 28, 2012 @ 12:34 pm
Seeing ads like this is always a bit of a shock for me. These ads often appear in many magazines which I haven’t bothered to read. The whole idea that “sex sells” is so true in our society. We all know that this is true, but I am still surprised to discover the extent to which this is the case. Advertisers have become shameless in their use of sex and objectified women in their marketing campaigns. You’re trying to sell a sandwich by representing it as a penis and putting it in front of a woman’s open mouth? Really? You’re advertising cologne by putting the bottle in between the breasts of a greased up, naked woman? Advertisements nowadays don’t have anything to do with the actual product itself. The products are being placed in front of erotic images (naked women most of the time) and are expected to sell based on the sex appeal alone.
This idea of advertising as mainstream porn is very interesting (and very true as well). These erotic ads are simply an excuse for a bunch of men in power to create images that satisfy their own erotic cravings while still managing to sell a product (because it satisfies those desires of men in the public as well).
Comment by Logan S. — March 30, 2012 @ 10:21 am
I wish I could say these are all spoof ads. But the unfortunate truth is that these advertisements really do exist and are around us. If we get on the bus, we are driving, or we are at home watching television these ads are present. The Calvin Klein and Dolce and Gabbana ads that only have one female and several males are disturbing. It is disturbing to realize women are so subordinately represented and sexualized to where they are reinforcing negative stereotypes. Women in these ads are objectified and made to seem like women only exist for men’s pleasure. Also, the Burger King ad surprised me to know such a major fast food chain company got away with this advertisement. It also scares me to know what my young sister is constantly exposed to and how these ads play a role at times in teenager’s lives. In addition, the Tom Ford ads are going too far in order to sell their products. Then again, Tom Ford company members must be aware of the negative attention that their ads also bring; but this company is probably trying to achieve having people talk about their ads to sell more. It is sickening and disturbing to even think that the corporate members of all these companies represented are getting a kick out of portraying women in such a sexist and degrading form.
Comment by Jennifer H. — March 31, 2012 @ 2:50 pm
Every time I think I’ve seen it all, it never fails, the media comes up with something more outgoing and just plain pornographic. Tell me why there aren’t regulations on commercials or ads. Is it because it’s a still image or because these companies are giving a profit to guideline agencies. It shouldn’t bother me how people choose to use their bodies as sex objects to make money, but it does. And not only are these commercials and ads on every billboard around town, children witness these things. Where does the line get drawn? I can’t say I have never seen these sexual poses on Gucci or Calvin Klein ads, but Burger King advertising a 7 inch sandwich is a little too much. All of the above are over the top, but food companies are now maneuvering upon not what makes money, but what makes more money.
Comment by Salina G — March 31, 2012 @ 10:56 pm
It’s ridiculously that these ads are published everyday. Women are reduced to sexualized objects and majority of them shouldn’t make a reference to sex in the first place. Because of images like these women are taught that it is acceptable or better yet expected to be submissive and irrelevant. The importance of women is placed on physical and sexual attributes. It shows the simplistic and immature mindset in the creators of these ads as well as the entire organization because only perverted men who are mentally adolescent boys would continue to find ways to covertly or overtly inject hyper sexualized situations that border hardcore porn in mainstream advertisements. Sex sells only because it is linked to our natural emotions and that’s what advertisers bank on. And for the same reasons guns sale because of the emotions they are associated with; fear and power.
Comment by DeAngelo H. — April 4, 2012 @ 2:45 pm
Living in a capitalist society, most of us see these ads as common. Taking a closer look though, these ads become extremely offensive to women. What I keep seeing in these images is how women are sexualized and subordinated. These images are sending a message: women are sexual and subordinate objects.
Comment by Jose R. Lopez — April 9, 2012 @ 10:01 pm
Viewing all these ads together is traumatic, devastating and overwhelming. There has been very little done to stop advertisements from selling porn along with their products. Sex is being used to sell almost everything in society. But this sexuality only belongs to the young and beautiful as Kilbourne stated in the film Killing Us Softly. These ads demonstrate the sexual double standard. Women in reality are not encouraged to behave as the women in the ads portrayed because then they will be judged as whores. But women can be used as sexual objects to sell. Not only are the individuals being sexualized but the objects as well. Ads such as these are examples of the internalized oppression women are exposed to. Women are expected to be sexually available and expect little or nothing in return and to remain sexual objects. Kibourne’s film in which she explains in depth the problem of our nation and the media does not accuse the media, but rather offer solutions to the problem in society and media.
Comment by lizbeth Hurtado — April 10, 2012 @ 9:08 pm
WOW, the sexuality that is displayed in advertisements now is outrageous. I guess I never noticed it was this bad. Every advertisement up there seems to masculinize and show dominance in men and totally degrade women. The Duncan Quinn, Calvin Klein and Dolce Gabana were especially bad in my eyes. What are the thinking will happen with little children growing up seeing these. First of all, boys are going to expect women to be completely sexual, sexy, perfect body, and they are going to be used to seeing these images and this is going to start off their sexual experiences. So when reality hits and they actually have a girlfriend who has stretch marks and is not sexual like all the advertisements he has seen his whole life, problems will begin to arise in peoples lives. Women are going to feel as though they have to live up to them since being compared to them and it will never end because it is an impossible goal to acheive because they are not real. They are solely advertismenets trying to sell clothing and perfume. Give me a freaking break!
Comment by H. Stevens — April 13, 2012 @ 3:19 pm
I also have found the “Killing Us Softly” movies to be very interesting. I first watched these movies in a Women’s Studies class I took in community college and it really opened my eyes up to the world of advertising in a way I had never thought of before. Some of these ads I could see as “borderline funny” perhaps inappropriate for mainstream viewing but maybe they could pass as acceptable. Other ads specifically those which almost entirely expose the women’s genitalia really disgust me. I don’t understand why mens penises are always covered and are rarely seen (even in a mens strip club) yet women’s private parts are shown like they are simply just an arm or a leg. I really don’t like how the men are dominating over the women in such sexual ways in these ads. If people want the man to dominate in the bedroom great! Keep it in the bedroom! I don’t believe sexual scenes such as these should be seen when you open up a magazine or on a billboard. These ads truly make women look like “a piece of meat” and I said that in the least offensive way possible. Even if people watch pornographic videos or look at pornographic magazines, etc. they probably will be doing this in privacy yet many people don’t view regular ads in privacy which means children are being exposed to these types of images.
Comment by Patrina C — April 14, 2012 @ 6:36 pm
My first impression on these type of ads was not shoking. I see those type of ads as being normal. These ads have been around for a long time and I have been exposed to them ever since I was a child. I have learned to understand that in order for a product to sell, its appearance is critical. In other words it needs to attract all audience. The marketing method they use is very sexual and women are viewed as sex symbols.When something is being advertised, for the most part women are apart of the ad. Today advertisements send the message of male dominance, along with sexual content. I use to never realy pay attention to the content of advertisements because I thought it was normal. Today I am able to see how the media uses women, sex, and dominance. In my opinion these advertisemnts should not be advertised. The degrading of women is very high. Young children are also being exposed to them, which can later have a negative effect in their life.
Comment by Maira Pacheco — April 15, 2012 @ 5:40 pm
It is disturbing that advertisers are still creating these same images that have no connection to their product. These ads are eye catching and get us talking about them and the product, however the money made from these ads is not worth the message that is constantly being sent out. A woman or young lady should not have to open up a magazine to see themselves being depicted as a sex object, piece of meat, or victim. The clothing and perfume ad are the worst because the images being portraying have nothing to do with the brand. For example the Dolce and Gabana ad looks like it is promoting sex or rape and not the clothing. It is sad that in the majority of these ads the woman is posed in a way that she looks dead and/or weak. In order for these ads to stop men and women need to stop buying these products because corporations only respond when they are losing money.
Comment by Justine B — April 15, 2012 @ 7:49 pm
I would have to agree with Jean Kilbourne that the “advertisements are America’s real pornographer” and that ads make porn mainstream. After viewing those few advertisements I would have to agree that ads are making porn mainstream. I was really shocked after seeing those pictures to be honest, especially the ones for Tom Ford advertising. I’ve seen in the magazines the Dolce & Gabanna ads are pretty risky as well as ones that advertise for jeans and stuff with women half naked. Not only are they selling sex, but they are depicting woman again as a sex symbol and degrading them as well as the objects they are selling. It’s as though they are saying if you buy this object than this will happen or this should happen or this is what sexy is. This just shows that these ads are doing anything to sell stuff and they are going real low.
Comment by CandaceR — April 15, 2012 @ 10:57 pm
My initial thought’s were this can’t be real. Then once i noticed they weren’t joking, i thought how in the world do you get away with publicly displaying these! Mainstream porn is right. It seems as though the rule is if you can’t see IT, you can show it. I noticed people trying to argue that these advertisements are meant for men in hopes to sell products through sex and have nothing do to with women. But when you have a women who look like they are about to be gang banged, it has everything to do with women. Since when does dry humping a women say, we have quality jeans, or hiding a vagina with perfume say “this smells good”?
Instead these ads degrade women promote sexual violence against. Most of these outrageous ads have nothing to do with the products they are selling. These eye catching ads create controversy which in turn gains them more publicity. In an industry ran by money, the only way to combat such a problem is with money. We must stop buying products associated with such degrading ads, and the magazine that feature them. Easier said then done, i understand; but image how many young girls open up magazines and deem this as okay.
Comment by Raven G — April 18, 2012 @ 8:13 pm
It’s shocking how stuff like this doesn’t even register to people who read magazines anymore. We see it, but it just become the norm and no longer shocks us. Janet Jackson’s nipple slip at the superbowl caused a huge controversy, and yet we are sold this kind of porn all the time and take no offense or public outrage to it. Why isn’t there censorship when it comes to magazine ads? These women are sexualized to an extreme and the magazines that have ads like this get into the hands of children. People really think that teaching them Sex Education is going to make them wanna have sex? It’s our whole society that teaches children about sex, and ads like the ones where the women are sex toys for the men is the worst example children can get.
Comment by Lauren B — April 20, 2012 @ 2:39 pm
It’s disturbing how far these advertisers have gone to sell products. I studied this very topic in a class I took a couple years ago called Women and Men in the Media. In this class, we also deconstructed advertisements including some that are posted here as well. The results of our analysis were truly shocking. Advertisers severely degrade women by showing only certain provocative body parts and all together cutting out the woman’s head, implying that she is not important or of any value. They pose woman in subordinate positions and even display ads that appear as a merely glamourized scene of a gang rape. We all know that sex sells and that is precisely the reason advertisers use these provocative images to attract an audience however, there is no need for this excessive degrading portrayal of women. The class and the discussions we had were truly eye opening and now I view sexualized advertisements such as these with an entirely different outlook.
Comment by Jessica E. — April 22, 2012 @ 4:22 pm
As I was looking through these ads, I was most shocked/disturbed by the Tom Ford ads. I can’t believe companies are allowed to advertise in this way. I’ve never heard of Tom Ford so I googled him and saw his items are sold in Saks Fifth Av. and Neiman Marcus were children are certainly exposed to these photographs. Every single ad contained nudity. It’s baffling that although controversial, these ads are also very profitable for the company. I’ve seen some Playboy covers and have come across a friends porn collection on his phone and even the porn stars are wearing more clothes than these models. It’s frustating because although many people are outraged there are even more who don’t mind and buy these products allowing the company to continue to create ads like this. Because so many people are descensitized to the porn that is being put out, I unfortunately don’t see an end to this.
Comment by FabiolaP — April 22, 2012 @ 7:20 pm
Many advertisements are based off of porn and lifestyle. I’ve seen in so many magazine and online marketing where the clothing store doesn’t even market their clothes, but they market nudity. Its unbelievable how the marketing strategies have come this way. They want you to live their lifestyle, and maybe if you buy their clothing you will look like this girl in the ad and have a good looking guy next to your side. I work at Abercrombie & Fitch and we get complaints and lawsuits all the time about our ads. The guy’s rear is slightly showing because his jeans are sagged too low; we were asked to remove it from customers who had young children. I understand it may inappropriate but I also understand the side of the company where they are just trying to make money. Yes it might be disturbing to others but if it bothers you, all I can advise is to not look at the website or go into the store. There is nothing we can do to stop the marketing industry to do this.
Comment by Linda Piyawadhanachai — April 23, 2012 @ 8:55 pm
These advertisements are absolutely disturbing. I have never seen anything like this in my life and never thought advertising would come to this. Women are degraded so intensely in all of these advertisements it is disgusting. I would never allow my children to look at such images. I cannot even beleive that there are people in this world that will look at such images and believe they want to buy the product because of it. Obviously the target audience is men, considering the Tom Ford perfume right in front of a womens vagina. These images create ideas and shape the way society looks at women. It becomes a normal activity or idea to hold a women down of pour “milk” all over her face because we are exposed to such things in the mainstream society. It is a sad thing to see and I definitely do not condone such behavior or advertisements.
Comment by Alina Bergelson — April 24, 2012 @ 11:25 am
This is just gross and unsettling. How are these women even modeling for these ads? These ads are so degrading to women. Their bodies are turning into objects. For example, the Tom Ford ad with the bottle of cologne between the breasts and directly in front of the vagina. Dehumanization of the bodies is going to lead people into thinking that the acts happening in these ads are accepted because the bodies aren’t being valued. This is also going to lead us into domestic violence because men are going to think this is ok and that women enjoy being held down and controlled (like in the Dolce & Gabbana ad).
Comment by Heather S. — April 26, 2012 @ 9:14 pm
Watching “Killing Us Softly” completely changed the way that I see ads today. It was obvious to see that ads used sex a variety of products but I had not noticed how pornographic they were. What concerns me is that pornographic ads being seen in high end fashion magazines but they are also on billboards where our younger generation is able to see them. Ads that have themes of misogyny promote the idea that sexualized aggression is normal. Ads that show women in a pornographic way also reinforces gender roles that keep women subordinate. For example the Relish ad depicts two women being handcuffed. This ad in particular reinforces the notion that women need to be controlled by men. Furthermore, I’m baffled as to how these ads didn’t cause an uproar. Women who stand back and purchase products from Calvin Klein are only participating in their own demise. It disgusts me that it it is socially acceptable for there to be a Calvin Klein Ad like the one above that shows a woman being gang raped. Without the name brand on the bottom of the advertisement it would be difficult to recognize what they are trying to sell. Some women might feel powerless when it comes to changing the way pop culture depicts but they are able to make a contribution by not supporting labels that denigrate women.
Comment by Gaby V. — April 29, 2012 @ 4:47 pm
The only thing i could say after seeing this images were “OMG” and “was that Taylor Swift with the braided hair?” But more seriously, the ads that show women as nothing more but sexual objects are completely and utterly un acceptable. Some of these ads only show parts of females, not even their entire faces. In one of the ads, the only thing in there was a vagina being covered by a bottle. Seriously. In another ad, a girl is giving oral sex to a man, and its supposed to be advertising shoes. Seriously, the caption should of been “puma gives you the support you need when you’re sucking dick”. These ads show women as cheap, dirty, slutty, and as somethings that can be used and then disposed. Some of these ads even show women being raped, or at least in a rape scenerio. Some people argue that these shots are “vogue” “avantgard” well, they’re not. They’re nothing more than tools used to degrade women and created to show power over them. The video “killing us softly” really brought to my attention the senseless degradation that women have to bear every day. There is no reason why women have to be treated this way in the least.
Comment by lucero Medrano — April 29, 2012 @ 6:53 pm
Seeing all of those advertisements is really disturbing. I think it is quite clear that advertisers are crossing the line when it comes to the line “sex sells”, taking the phrase way too far. What is most disturbing is the fact that little children have access to these same ads, sending them multiple messages and implanting them into their subconscious. No wonder the majority of females do not grow up aspiring to be leaders. In all of these ads it is sending the message that it is the males that hold the power and the females that are the subordinate individuals, tending to the males’ every need. Also, no wonder women don’t have more self respect for themselves. These ads are not teaching women about self respect. These ads are telling women to satisfy men and to fulfill their every desire. Lastly, no wonder men see women as objects. Not only that, it should not be a surprise that women suffer from internalized oppression when they see women such as themselves being portrayed as objects. These ads do not portray women as equal individuals or even individuals at all. They portray women as sex toys and objects. These advertisements can only be harmful to our society.
Comment by Julianne Insogna — April 29, 2012 @ 10:00 pm
I have to admit i never really paid much attention to the these ads in magazines untill now. Most of the ads above you really cant tell what they are even selling because of the images we are seeing. The images of the product we do see, in reality they say “if you buy this product then you too can have all the benefits that come with it”. Another thing I noticed is that some ads featuring a product use part of the womens body to advertise their product, most of the time the product covering their private areas. Furthermore even thougb we cant see the womens entire body the areas we do see like the brest are very larg the legs are shown shaved and very sexy in a mini skirt ect. After watching killing us shoftly I now notice more and more of these ads being advertized and it makes me wonder if companies like these really profit from advertisements such as these.
Comment by Luis G. — April 29, 2012 @ 10:53 pm
For me seeing all these ads and the way that women are depicted isn’t surprising to me in the least. Its the common phrase that “sex sells” and we buy it everyday. I am not saying we all do, but for the most part we are keeping this sex crazed culture alive and kicking. We need to stop buying products that depict women as being a sex slave for starters that will help. I think that most times people do not even notice how badly women are being portrayed because we see it everyday. I saw a billboard driving down the freeway of some girl naked with her arm covering her boobs and water being splashed on her. I cant remember what it was for, but either an alcohol or sport drink advertisement. We see these sort of images everywhere sides of buses, bus stops, billboards, commercials, etc. Even more so now with the advancement in technology. I also think that models need to stop allowing photographers and publishers to take picture of them in this manner. Do I think it will ever happen… probably not.
Comment by Candice G. — April 29, 2012 @ 11:32 pm
this article is so true, sex is everywhere! Most advertisements that we see today are sexual and the women are wearing next to nothing and usually the product is covering something up on her body. Some of these ads are very revealing and can’t believe that they were able to use it. Many of the products that these women in the ads are endorsing are products for women, wouldn’t woman want men to be in these ads and not women?
Comment by allison — April 30, 2012 @ 2:49 pm
I am still shocked that ads like these are published, even though I probably shouldn’t be at this point. It feels insulting as a women to look at these photos and realize there is an actual group of people, with women included I’m sure, that come up with these ad campaigns and apporve them to be printed and seen across the world. You can hardly even see the product in some of them or even tell what they are really trying to sell. I can’t even remember more than one or two brands and I just looked at the photos. It seems as though this mainstream porn will never stop as companies just keep trying to one up each other and see who can be more controversial. It would be nice to see ad campaigns that are actually focused on the product for once.
Comment by Kristin F — April 30, 2012 @ 2:50 pm
It is so crazy how much sex sells. Most of these ads feature women as a sexual object, and yet most women don’t have a problem with it. Obviously the ads are targeted towards heterosexual men but most of the time they are products that men and women purchase. They are sexist, and hurtful to girls and women everywhere. Most of the time I am lost when it comes to figuring out what is being advertised. A great number of the pictures in the ads are disgusting and very degrading towards women. You can have a half naked woman and it is made to look dirty and slutty, but when it’s a half naked man he is made to look sexy and strong. There is such a double standard in advertisements today.
Comment by Katy S — April 30, 2012 @ 7:50 pm
It is not surprising to me to see that sex sells that is something that i have seen in ads for a long time but it was shocking to me to see how two of these used a vagina that was covered only by cologne bottle for men that truly disturbed me because this is just disgusting and ridiculous that they have to stoop that low in order to sell cologne and it degrades women to a full extent. She is obviously being use as a sex symbol and most advertisements use women as sex symbols and portray them as weak individuals who all they want is a man. It sad to me to see this because women are sexualized to sell products that have nothing to do with sex and it something that should change.
Comment by Denisse Teutla — April 30, 2012 @ 9:46 pm
Advertisements like these really anger me! I ask myself everyday, “How do they get away with this?” The strange thing is, people do not notice how bad these advertisements really are! Through the process of cultivation, these images have become so normative that people do not even object! I find it so disturbing that individuals are actually shown these images, accept them, and then go out and buy the product that is being advertised. I’ve never really been a sexual person, but I do not think you have to be any kind of particular person to notice that these advertisements are pornographic in nature, and support violence against women. Okay, so sex sells, we get it…but the advertisers are taking it to the next level, and do not even care about the consequences that could potentially follow. Individuals, and our children are being socialized to accept this perversion, and actually learn to like/prefer these images! Advertisers only care about money and how much a product sells. I find it incredibly sad that this is what sells. What has the world come to, really?
Comment by Deirdre D. — May 1, 2012 @ 8:29 pm
These ads are so far off from what the company is even trying to sell that I don’t see how such obscene images can even promote the product efficiently. They are literally porn and I am disgusted to think that a child could see images like that on TV or in a magazine. Not only are the women in the ads being demeaned but they are all engaging in some form of sexual activity. I’m shocked that such ads are printed.
Comment by Michelle A. — May 1, 2012 @ 11:49 pm
In this modern day and age, I am honestly not that surprised that these ads even exist. Through my university class on human sexuality I have come to realize that images like these are very prevalent in ads today and sadly are the popular method of advertising products all over the world. The clear message that these images send to the public is definitely not about jeans or perfume or food for that matter. It’s all about image and the female subjectivity to looking sensual and submissive in comparison to her male counterpart. The image that advertizes Burger King I believe was a recent ad that came out and received a lot of backlash for its hidden yet very obvious imagery. This was an outrage because not only do they objectify women and sex in ads for clothes and perfumes, but now all the food we consume on a daily basis. It is an outrage that advertisers would go to such lengths as to display these images to the public where not only adults but also children are vulnerable to seeing them. It is these images of overly sexualized scenarios that further encourage the idea that pornography is acceptable and thus further allows for people to look more into the world of pornography just to get off on the fake sense of pleasure that is portrayed within these images. Not to mention how they also increase and maintain the negative ideals of sexual roles and stereotypes revolved around women and men.
Comment by Jon K. — May 2, 2012 @ 12:28 am
It’s no surprise that pornographic images have now extended to advertising. Within the last decade there has been a substantial increase in pornographic images in the media. In an article by Meredith Levande titled The Pornography of Everyday Life, she talks about pornography increasing in the media, especially in pop music. Moreover, the ads above are very disturbing images; and as always it depicts women in a submissive manner. Although I do think these images are wrongful to be out into the public, I feel that pornographic images in other parts of the world, such as Japan or Europe, would find it part of their cultural norms. I feel that knowing what we know from what we hear, see, and experience; we can perceive these images as disturbing and eerie. In the U.S. these images can’t be seen as just a norm in society like as other countries may. Not all countries and cultures would agree in having these ads displayed. But, on behalf of the public’s notion, advertisers should consent to decrease the usages of these pornographic images. It has gone too far.
Comment by Elizabeth D. — May 3, 2012 @ 2:05 pm
I really hate ads like this. Instead of selling a product in a practical manner, they resort to tasteless ads that titillate instead of being real marketers. This results to a cultivation of these ads that lead to pornography in mainstream media. What happened to classy ads that cater to people of all ages and different groups? Now we are forced to endure ads of misogyny, violence, and nudity to sell products.
Comment by Kaitlin V — May 5, 2012 @ 11:22 am
Porn is readily available online and easy to access by virtually anyone, regardless of sex and age. There is no need for a computer or a video store though to find pornographic or sexual images and messages, as we are surrounded by advertising that provides us with plenty of it. I recently saw a Verizon Wireless commercial that began with a woman in a closet, throwing all kinds of pink, frilly dresses of their hangers, and emerging from the closet in a skintight, mostly black motorcycle suit. The message across the screen read, “No more Mr. ___________,” filled in with a woman’s name. She rides off on a motorcycle, the commercial ending in the Verizon logo. I didn’t understand what the commercial was intending for the viewer to learn about the Verizon company, but I did get the message that women who trade pink dresses for skintight cat suits, are sexy, strong and still defined by a “Mister’” or a man. I think I recently read about a school district that was starting to include classes for their 6th-12th on Media influence and analysis. As we continue to be more and more bombarded with advertisements sending sexual, demeaning, objectifying messages about women, it is increasingly pertinent that we educate ourselves and our youth on the damage this causes.
Comment by Natalie P — May 5, 2012 @ 4:53 pm
I firmly agree that these ads are shocking as well as disturbing. The constant theme of “sex sells” is constantly being bombarded to consumers through advertisements. What is even more absurd is that these advertisements tend to have no correlation with the product being sold. These ads express not only inappropriate messages, but they tell us that sex is the only thing that matters. I think that there should be more censorship in ads. Moreover, there should be tests that must be placed for an advertisement to be approved. The message that the advertisement should be sending should be appropriate for children to view. This is important, because children can also see these advertisements. Not only do these ads portray images of sex, but they depict the domination of males over females. In Killing Us Softly 3, I recall Jean Kilbourne mentioning that this domination of women leads to the actual violence of men on women.
Comment by Benjamin B — May 7, 2012 @ 10:43 pm
I hadn’t put attention to this ads but, this ads are extremely pornographic.What it is more insane is our society accepts them that’s why more and more keep on coming out. In most of this ads we don’t even know what are they saling we definetly see sex instead. All we could see the men having power over women,reinforcing masculinity, women seen and use as sex object most of all their sending a message women are only good for sex. Now they have gone to the extreme of having pornographic images, violence, nudity on the ads to sell the products. I believe thia also has an affect on why teens at a younger age. are having sex, becaus its all over.
Comment by Gladys S — May 8, 2012 @ 7:42 am
These advertisements made me feel super uncomfortable. They are very disturbing and I have noticed one of them on the billboards while driving to school. I think the media is just promoting sex and violence making it ok for people to think that the hottest trend. In reality we are trying to stay away from all that all we want is the product not the images. Seriously these people can’t be more creative if they don’t use sex and violence, and that is very sad.
Comment by Karen Acevedo — May 11, 2012 @ 10:33 am
It’s not a surprise to see sexual advertisements, because it done all the time. Advertisements like these truly disgust me. I know that sex sells but these ads take it too far, and I do not understand WHY sex sells. These ads are just horrible. They are not only sexual, but they offensive to women as well. These ads such as the Duncan Quinn one, glamorize violence against women. These companies do not realize what a serious matter this is. In some of these, there are several men, all surrounding just one woman. This is also a problem. What really disturbs me is that the women in these advertisements are real people who are allowing themselves and the female gender be presented in this way. If I were a model, I would refuse to be presented in such ways. These models do not realize that they are just allowing the problem to become worse. Women are being taken advantage of and belittled. It is completely unnecessary for food, drink, and clothing ads to be made into porn.
Comment by Nicole D — May 11, 2012 @ 6:39 pm
I don’t think seeing these ads are any surprise to anyone, it’s something we’ve all seen because we are always bombarded with ads. And unfortunately this whole idea of “sex sells” is something that just keeps being more prominent in advertisements.
Ads are something I look at constantly, in being a photography student who is taking classes on advertising photography, it’s something I’m required to do. Here i am, a woman, who is looking through these ads, and all I am is disgusted half the time by what it is they are suggesting. And I’m looking at these ads to see how to light my subjects, but all I am is distracted and horrified that this is what I am studying to be a part of. It’s a struggle I have as I am required to make a success photo that could be used in an advertisement. But I have been true to what I stand for, I’m not trying to encourage nor partake in mainstream porn ads. I mean frankly it makes me uncomfortable that these ads are acceptable. Especially these ads I see with the milk being shot into a girl’s eye and the other one having it dripped across her neck. I’m not even sure what these ads are actually for. It’s disappointed to see ads like this when I strive to be respected by men. How am I supposed to get respect, when women are being portrayed as these sex objects to men?
Comment by Melissa M — May 11, 2012 @ 9:19 pm
As I look at these advertisements it incredible to think that these are major product companies that have giving the ok to run these advertisements. I mean I have heard that sex sells but come on, at what point will someone say wait what does this have to do with the product we are selling? What do these partially nude girls and guys have that requires them laying on top of one another imply for people to go “hey I should buy this product.” In fact, as I think about some of the ads I have seen on late night television I honestly cannot telling what they were selling but only describe the people in it.
Comment by Albert Q — May 12, 2012 @ 11:16 pm
The images in this post are extremely disturbing. For advertisers to even think that these kinds of images are appropriate are baffling. It has definitely taken porn outside of homes and made it public. It’s sad that in all of these ads there is a form of objectifying women. Women are in the middle of all these ads being treated like objects, that in most is very appeasing to men. The women in the Dolce and Gabbana and Calvin Klein ads, having sex with multiple men at one time, something that is look greatly upon in porn. All the ads in the post are all uncalled for. My question is where are these images being place? They are in are magazines, on television, and on are billboards as we are taking are children to school. What kind of messages are these advertisements sending to our children? To our children it may be something harmless. But as they grow older they take these images and portray them in their lives. Are girls are going to go up and think that she is to sleep with multiple men at one time, and our boys are going to think that it is acceptable. In my opinion, advertisers have taken it way too far.
Comment by Glynda Givens — May 13, 2012 @ 9:38 am
These ads are very sexual and Tom Ford has taken disturbing ads to the brink!I have seen the film “Killing Me Softly” and it was very sexual and degrading to women through advertising. Not only was the film on sexual advertisements but it also captured thin women as well. There was one pose of a women having a wrist watch on her upper arm which condones being thin as being sexy. I found that ad very disturbing because her arm literally was only bone. Now I do agree to sell fragrances or underwear the ads SHOULD be sexy but there is a line and it was crossed in each one of those ads above. Tom Ford’s ads appalled me, especially the last one. I have never seen such an openly sexual ad like that and I was shocked this actually was released in a non-pornographic magazine. Degrading of women was exerted in each and every pose, especially the BK ad. That is not a way to attract customers by putting 7 incher in their add about a sandwich.
Comment by Michael C — May 13, 2012 @ 12:51 pm
Wow! I knew the media’s advertisement held subliminal messages, but I was shocked as I scrolled down each and every image. Advertisements are constantly telling women who they are and who they should be. In most of these ads, women are in submissive positions and clearly convey a sexist situation. In half of these ads women are perceived as sexual objects and men domination prevails. Not only do I feel appalled and disturbed by these images, but offensive to all women, these ads are not just seen by adults, but by children as well. Unfortunately, Sex sells and as a result we have all these ads. In these ads all men are empowered, where as the women ids semi naked or they highlight only her body, which can be perceived as women are nothing more than sex objects. These ads are disturbing and extremely degrading. What troubles me the most is why are we still consumers of this sexism?? If we stopped buying these type of magazines and became more analytic of what the media tries to feed us , maybe we could stop sexism, but until we stop being consumers we are being brainwashed into believing that sex sells. I don’t think people clearly pay attention, or care, because if they did there would be more critics as well as concerned individuals. As members of society it is in our best interests to make conscious choices and become critical and become, media literate citizens.
Comment by Berenice V — May 13, 2012 @ 4:48 pm
I find these images both tacky and distrubing, but i see the point of them. Sex sells. I know this is osmething we are all sick of but these images are the sore thumb of the magazine if you will. I have actually been flipping through Elle magazine and saw the Tom Ford add. I had to do a double take. I could only image what would have happened if i saw the billboard. I find these images tacky because its not clever or creative in the least. Its an eye cather, but it didnt take these marketers much thought. They are distrubing because they are overly sexual and promote violence and misogyny.
Comment by Corrin M. — May 13, 2012 @ 5:33 pm
WOW! I had no idea. I truly feel like I’ve been living in a bubble. These advertisements are crude and vulgar to look at and the fact that people are view this as art and a paycheck seems really backwards. I’m so speechless because I was a long supporter of one of these advertisements and now after seeing what was being advertised I feel ashamed. WTF are these people thinking? In no way did I feel that any of these advertisements convinced me to buying what they were selling. If anything it would have made me just turn and walk away from it. These advertisements are saying one thing, which is that it is ok to degrade women and portray them as sluts. What an eye opener!
Comment by Simara Williams — May 13, 2012 @ 7:35 pm
Advertising as Mainstream Porn mentions that “advertisements are America’s real pornographer.” I agree with this quote after reading this post and looking at the advertisement pictures attached to it. I always acknowledged at the fact that “sex sells’, but these ad’s exceed the meaning of sex sells. For example, the ad from Tom Ford where the perfume bottle is directly behind a female’s private part is absolutely ridiculous and awkward. Also, the Burger King advertisement with the sandwich along with the slogan “IT’LL BLOW YOUR MIND AWAY” with a female’s mouth next to it, is disgusting and done in a classless way. Do these companies believe that they will attract customers with this method? “Sex sells” has been the concept to sell products for many years but I believe that it has reached its limits recently. Before it would display women with barely any clothes but nowadays, its women with barely any clothes on along with being in sexual positions and men being all over them. I personally would not buy a product such as a sandwich with that type of reference. In conclusion, I am happy I took this class because it has opened my eyes to the many flaws the media has in society. It has its pros and cons but it seems like it contains more negative affects to society than positive ones. I hope one day, advertisement will not demonstrate such vulgar ads with the idea “sex sells”.
Comment by MaryD — May 13, 2012 @ 9:06 pm
These images are truly reflective of the advertising industry in our society today displaying and enforcing gender norms of empowering of men and degrading of women. I was a Tom Ford fan until I saw this article with his ads. They really shook me to the core. I can’t believe that woman see these ads and feel this is the way the ideal woman should act, look and accept as normal behavior from a man. It sad that women feel they must be extremely thin toned body and gorgeous to be the “perfect” woman. Well this perfect woman does not exist and these ads only enforce the unrealistic women.
Comment by Vanessa Ochoa — May 13, 2012 @ 9:08 pm