In order to market products and services, advertisements are used extensively. There are also some negative consequences: sexual objectification in advertisements. Objectifying women for the purpose of selling a product dates back to early 20th-century. Today, objectification of females has caused a “sexualization in culture”. Flowers, food, beverages, cars, etc., which are not sexual products, are sexualized to portray women only as objects. This well-known notion of’sex marketing’ stereotypically portrays women as objects or desire, and sex emblems. It is degrading towards women and reinforces existing gender stereotypes.

In order to better understand the problem of sexualization in ads, I studied Teleflora’s “Valentine’s Night”, a 2012 Super Bowl ad featuring the supermodel Adriana. Teleflora, a floral arrangement company, promoted its business at one of the biggest sporting events a week prior to Valentine’s Day. The controversial message “Give and You Shall Receive” was the reason for their negative reception. It implies that flowers are a good way to get your date to have sex. Teleflora’s advertisement clearly targets men in the 18-40 age range. This advertisement’s goal was to appeal to men using Adriana limea’s sexiness. This ad devalues women’s power because it presents women as objects to be purchased by flowers. They will then owe back something. It implies that women can be easily pleased. Adriana’s image is that of a sexy girl who is getting ready. (Pantyhose up, dress zipping, earrings, shoes, lipstick) Jean Kilbourne writes in “Killing us Softly 4” that ads can only be acceptable if the women are flawless, young, thin and light-skinned. They must also be groomed and plucked. Victoria Secrets models and extreme nudity have become the norm in the pursuit of selling a product on the mass-market. Rosalind Gill emphasizes the same phenomenon in an analysis of advertising featuring ‘Sixpacks’, ‘Midriffs’ and ‘Hot Lesbians’. She states that, “in the West media of the early 21st and late 20th centuries, public nakedness, voyeurisms, and sexualized-looking are tolerated, even encouraged, to an unprecedented extent”.

Jean Kilbourne explains in “Killing Us Softly” that ads are more than just products. They sell ideas, images, values and ideologies. They also promote cultural beliefs. They tell us about ourselves and the person we should strive to become. Mass media has an enormous impact on our perception of the world. Advertisements introduce women to the perfect image. It is dangerous because it blurs the line between what’s real and what’s fake. Women and girls who see more “perfect” women images become more accustomed to it, and more obsessed with this ideal of perfection. This can cause a variety of physical and mental health issues. According to the American Psychological Association, advertising can negatively impact women’s physical and mental health. The report found that girls and young women exposed to sexualized images from an early age are more likely to suffer from low self-esteem and depression. Recent years have seen a dramatic increase in cosmetic procedures due to media pressures. Men are often influenced by the media’s portrayal of attractive and desirable women. They may feel pressured to seek out women who look like those in the ads. Men may also feel entitled to women, and degrade them because of the underlying messages of male superiority in many ads.

It is possible that most people and myself, for example, feel we are able to resist the influence of advertising. We are, however, subconsciously drawn to products by companies that believe it’s acceptable to sexualize women to increase sales. Advertising can have a profound impact on our beliefs, perceptions, actions and thoughts. This is mostly subconscious. Professor Sut Jahally writes in Advertising at the Edge of the Apocalypse that the 20th century was the most effective and sustained system of propagandist in the history of mankind. If not stopped, its cumulative effects on culture will lead to the destruction of the world. These words are extremely powerful and shouldn’t go unnoticed. Ads like these have a huge impact on our society. If advertisers do not reflect and stop, they will continue deceiving people into believing that women are just sexual objects.

Advertising has had the greatest impact on us of all media types. Media treats women as objects and promotes sex and perfectionism. We must as a community recognize this problem and take action to stop it.