Wake Up And Smell the Female Side of Sex - In Advertising

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As we've done semi-hypocritically several times before, we've both celebrated and called into question the use of sexual imagery in advertising but we've always done it from our perspective: a guy's perspective. One the one hand, we'd love to see every ad feature a sexy woman. On the other, it becomes numbing, research says it doesn't work and we know it's less than kind to the portrayal of women. None of that matters. Well, it does but guys aren't the only ones viewing advertising and our opinion is only one half of the story. For true insight on how sexually laced advertising, much of it using racy female imagery to target females, affects the other half, women, give this Business Week article a read. It's written by those who are at the center of this issue: teens and young woman. It's their take on this that's more insightful than the drooling's of male ad slut.

Written by Steve Hall    Comments (6)     File: Good, Opinion     Aug-17-06  
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Comments

I think "Droolings of a male ad slut" should be your new tagline.

Posted by: Chris Thilk on August 17, 2006 01:35 PM

After reading the article, I think they overestimated the "what young sophisticated teen girls want" angle. Obviously they don't have a 17-year-old sister, who on any given day, buys into the exact type of advertising that this article says she doesn't want. Nothing against my sister, but sophisticated is not the first words i'd use to describe her, yet.

Posted by: Adam on August 17, 2006 01:40 PM

How do they explain the current super-skank fashion? A&F, Hollister and the like wouldn't be stocked to the ceilings with low-rise jeans and tops that seem half-finished if girls didn't buy it. For a few years I've been very happy with "fashion." Those gaucho pants? Hot damn that's awesome. Super low-rise jeans? That's awesome too. Ever shrinking and ever tigher tank tops? Makes me slow down every time.

So I'm not buying this innocent teens crap. Maybe they don't like seeing skanky ads, but they sure as hell dress like those ads.

Posted by: pat smith on August 17, 2006 05:44 PM

bahh that article was obviously written by a 20something univeristy graduate.

T&A sells...

Posted by: joh doe on August 18, 2006 01:38 AM

My response to that 20something university graduate then:

http://swbu.blogspot.com/2006/08/i-like-it-when-you-play-with-my-low.html

Posted by: ariel on August 18, 2006 11:49 AM

Jesus Steve...
Take a cold shower man.
Be like me, refrain from the temptation of big knockers and tiny bums... Think pure thoughts... Think advertising...
Or, as Zippy the PinHead would say... Naaah!!!
Cheers/George

Posted by: George Parker on August 20, 2006 09:47 PM

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