Advertisers are constantly looking for new ways to sell and market new products in an ever-changing marketplace. They need ways to attract their target market by any means possible. Some advertisers targeting men have turned to sexuality as a way to attract their audience and sell their products. The use of female sexuality is constantly used to sell products and services to men; especially with female athletes and women the Howard Stern show.Female sexuality has been used to attract men to buying products or services through many different types of media. In the last few years, Howard Stern has become a typical “man’s show”, using everything from toilet humor to “whacky and ridiculous” personalities. However the main portion of the show that attracts men and “sells” their show is the exploitation of women and female sexuality. In his essay, “Esquire Magazine and the Construction of the Male Consumer”, Kenon Breazeale explains how Howard Stern’s show appeals to the male market. He states, “Testosterone-saturated personas like Howard Stern cater to the eighteen- to thirty-four-year-old male market. But the mode of catering to that demographic: women, nothing but women, fantasized sexually and trashed socially,” (Breazeale 240). Stern will have these women take their clothes off, kiss each other, and act in other ways men would otherwise fantasize about. Therefore, a lot of men will listen to the show to resolve some of their sexual fantasies. This portion of the show (as seen in the collage above) explains how sex, especially female sexuality attracts men and therefore sells the show.
The other area where female sexuality is used to sell products is the advertising industry. Advertisers like to use attractive females, especially those in other areas of men’s interest such as sports, in their commercials and print ads in order to attract men to buying their product or service. In the essay, “Image Based Culture: Advertising and Popular Culture”, Sut Jhally explains how women are usually portrayed in advertising. Jhally states, “In advertising, gender (especially for women) is defined almost exclusively along the lines of sexuality,” (Jhally 253). Many times, as shown in the collage, advertisers will use attractive female sports celebrities to promote their products. For example, Danica Patrick (a race car driver) is shown in advertisements for products like godaddy.com while tennis star Maria Sharapova is seen in many Canon commercials. Also, some sports leagues such as the LPGA, IndyCar Racing, and women’s tennis will get most of its publicity from their best-looking athletes rather than their best performers. This shows how female sexuality can be used both directly and indirectly to promote and sell products and services.
PICTURES COURTESY OF:
All Howard Stern pictures: Howard Stern Picture Galleries. http://www.howardstern.com/
Natalie Gulbis: Farther Off the Wall with Tom Hoffarth. http://www.insidesocal.com/tomhoffarth/archives/2009/01/the-apprentice.html
Danica Patrick Photos:
Go Daddy Danica Patrick Superbowl Ad shows off guns. http://www.examiner.com/x-1841-Boston-Fitness-Examiner~y2009m2d2-Go-Daddy-Danica-Patrick-Superbowl-ad-shows-off-guns
Straferight.com Galleries. http://www.straferight.com/photopost/showphoto.php/photo/4233/cat/views/limit/www.1stplusmortgages.co.uk
Danica Patrick Formula 1 Driver? http://www.canadiandriver.com/forum/index.php?topic=61196.0
Amanda Beard PETA Ad: Paris Hilton for President? Plus: Ben Harper Takes a Ride, Maggie Gyllenhall Protects the Climate, Amanda Beard Bares All, and More. http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/08/the-blade-amanda-beard-peta-ad-paris-hilton-for-president.php
Bree Olson Taking Top Off: Porn Star Bree Olson. http://www.howardstern.com/archive.hs?h=1393
Maria Sharapova Powershot: Maria’s New Canon Powershot Will Expose Next Wednesday. http://www.prlog.org/10105972-marias-new-canon-powershot-will-expose-on-next-wednessday.html
SI Swimsuit Cover: 2006 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. http://www.mahalo.com/2006_Sports_Illustrated_Swimsuit_Issue
WORKS CITED
Jhally, Sut. “Image-Based Culture.” Gender, Race, and Class in the Media. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2003
Breazeale, Kenon. “In Spite of Women: Esquire Magazine and the Construction of the Male Consumer.” Gender, Race, and Class in the Media. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2003
Mike-
ReplyDeleteNice job with this assignment. The collage, quotes used and title are all very clearly aimed at the same argument about sex selling at the expense of women and their objectification to do so.
However, one key area to work on for the next assignment is clarifying your thesis statement so that the stated argument also coincides with the aspects of the assignment as I listed above. The last sentence of the first paragraph actually doesn't seem to make sense as a sentence...therefore, proofreading, clarifying, and concisely arguing a point will be super-helpful in the assignments that follow :o)
Good work overall though
:o)
Jessie