Sexuality - Research Paper Example

? 22 March Advertisement Advancement in technology and globalization has conventionally had a great impact on the understanding and treatment of sexuality around the world. This has enhanced the social and cultural uniformity regarding the roles and characteristics of gender. Over the years, advertising has become increasingly discriminatory and has spread imposed perceptions of people in general and women in particular. According to the findings of a UK based research, about 66.66 per cent of women were found to be of the opinion that advertisers make immense use of sex for the marketing of their products (Onyejekwe). Particularly, advertisement through billboards was considered by the research respondents to be most offensive of all mediums of advertisement. A number of French Reports have also emphasized upon the promotion of sex through advertisements, saying that the advertisements have used overtones of violence to degrade women and project bestiality and inferior role of women in sex (Onyejekwe). Such an attitude towards women creates a very distressed situation which should be immediately addressed so that dignity of those women on different levels could be restored. “Sexist advertising affects the shaping of people's identities and is counter-productive to society's goal of achieving gender equality” (“Sweden mulls ban”). This paper analyzes such an ad by Calvin Klein and discusses how the female model in the ad has been used as a source of sexual appeal for the audiences. In the end, there is a brief discussion of the guidelines that if followed, may help eradicate this practice. Women are being overly sexualized in different advertisements and fashion magazines, which is not only building negative perceptions about the character of women in the society but is also playing a role in derogating the society on moral grounds. Research done by sociologists lately suggests that sexploitation of women seen on the cover of one of the mainstream fashion magazines Rolling Stone suggests that women are far more potently targeted sexually than men over the last few years and such a negative attitude definitely does not deliver a positive message to the society at large (Monahan). Sexploitation through advertisements in such an open manner not only holds very negative ramifications for understanding the concept of female dignity but also leads to exploitation of women. Media has definitely exploited women on many levels by portraying them as sexual objects so that product sales could be increased. As a result of such advertisements in which provocative images of women’s often partially clothed bodies are shown and female sexuality is used as an effective tool for gaining public attention and increasing product sales, a lot of pressure is put on common women to be sexually attractive and also sexually active (Media Awareness Network). In the advertisement by Calvin Klein for promoting its trademark unisex fragrance CK one (Lunch), a half naked girl is shown standing immediately against a male model who is also half naked so that their bodies are touching each other’s as well as their mouths. With one outstretched arm, the male model is seen grabbing the female model and holding a CK one perfume bottle in his hand. The image shown in this fragrance advertisement is no doubt very provocative and fraught with all kinds of sexual suggestions. Both models have been made to pose so proximal to each other that it seems more like a pornography ad than a fragrance ad. Women definitely get exploited by such kinds of advertisements which show no respect for female sex and also such media actions deliver very negative images to the people who start accepting such ideas and believe it is normal for a woman to act provocatively. Culture is especially targeted by such advertisements in which women are over-sexualized so that it is left badly mutilated because no culture can sustain if the society shows no respect for women. Respect in disguise is ensured to these female models that are portrayed in the advertisements holding different commercial products but it is easy to acknowledge that much more attention is paid on how to sexually exploit the woman shown in the ad than anything else. In the Calvin Klein fragrance advertisement being discussed in this paper, there appears to be virtually no reason to make the models pose so provocatively that the ad could definitely be mistaken for a soft pornography ad had it not been for the fragrance held by the male model in one hand and even that fragrance is not shown completely. Much more attention is paid to over-sexualize the models than enhancing the fragrance image. But, it seems like the public demands such kinds of over-sexualized advertisements; otherwise Calvin Klein inc. would not have gone for such hard efforts put into preparing a sexually explicit advertisement which apparently is for a fragrance. “If a beer commercial has just beer in it, I don't think it would sell as well as a beer commercial with women in it” (Baldwin). This advertisement of a fragrance by Calvin Klein inc. definitely saps womens’ rights because all women are entitled to respect and dignity. If an advertisement leads to exploiting a woman by means of sexual portrayal, then it should be condemned instead of public support. Unfortunately these days, the more provocatively an advertisement is prepared while incorporating more and more sexual elements in it, the more public support and appreciation is promised. The products for which these advertisements are made in order to increase their sale, even they are not shown completely or at length so that it becomes too hard to differentiate the advertisement from any typical sex image many times. The image by Calvin Klein underlines the reality based research that female sexuality is increasingly being used to increase product sales. Such advertisements are made so that brands could be used to focus on younger consumers and attract them as CKI president and chief executive Tom Murry himself explains, “We have been thinking in terms of a brand that we can use to focus on the younger consumers, and CK one embodies that” (Lunch). Seeing such advertisements in which females are so beautifully exploited, it appears that the formula or strategy used these days by big fashion labels is that the more provocative and full of sexual stuff an advertisement is, the broader percentage of young population will be attracted to it. People do want to make a collective effort against such practices, but their efforts are marred by lack of support from the concerned authorities. “People want to act, but get weighed down and frustrated by complicated complaints procedures, a lack of community support and too often, inadequate responses from the targets of their complaints” (Roper). Concluding, women have been projected as objects of sex in the media and advertisement. This practice has become a potential hurdle in the empowerment of women in the society as the projection of women as sex objects is done in the name of moderation, that is conventionally understood as a prerequisite of women empowerment. Measures need to be taken to suppress such practices. Development and application of ethical codes for media in general and advertisement in particular might prove a potential step in the promotion of common good and fostering of a culture of respect for women. The first and the foremost medium to target is television because of its immense tendency to inculcate homogeneous perceptions of women in the audiences’ minds. Nevertheless, in order to combat the negative effects of the contemporary advertising on women’s societal perceptions, it is imperative that the whole range of media representations that tend to degrade women are targeted. Works cited: Baldwin, Jenna. “Sexploitation: Ads that exploit women.” 8 June 2007. Web. 22 Mar. 2012. . Lunch, Quiet. “One Upped.” 08 Oct. 2010. Web. 22 Mar. 2012. . Media Awareness Network. “Sex and Relationships in the Media.” 2010. Web. 22 Mar. 2012. . Monahan, Jeanne. “Women Increasingly Sexually Exploited By Media.” 18 Aug. 2011. Web. 22 Mar. 2012. . Onyejekwe, Chineze J. “Advertising and the Exploitation of Female Sexuality.” 2005. Web. 22 Mar. 2012. . Roper, Caitlan. “Sexploitation of Women.” 2011. Web. 22 Mar. 2012. . “Sweden mulls ban on sexist ads.” The Local. 15 Jan. 2008. Web. 22 Mar. 2012. . Read More