In the most recent December 2009 issue of MAXIM magazine, is a "Holiday Gift Guide" using two female models to advertise the selected products. In all of the following 4 images, the blonde and/or brunette models are seen wearing sexy barely there lingerie or even topless.
As you will see after viewing all of the images, the almost naked models get your attention first and then the product being advertised. Because they are almost naked in every single image, any guy viewing these pages is constantly thinking about sex whether they want to or not. No wonder guys are always thinking about sex, they are forced to think about it everywhere! The more important issue with these images is the way they are dressed and portrayed in the images. All of the images portray the models as sex objects rather than real women by having them wear lingerie or be topless on every single page. Furthermore, because they are using almost naked models to advertise the selected products, most of which would be considered accessories to life, it portrays these woman as accessories as well. So while looking at these images, keep in mind what is being SOLD: the products or women, as if they are objects of sex or both?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Alright folks... I may get a little controversial... but hear me out.
ReplyDeleteI am a feminist--egalitarian to the bone--and as such, am inclined to support the endeavors of this project. However, I don't believe you are addressing the issue holistically.
1. First of all, this garbage is by no means restricted to 50% of the population... just google "males as objects" and you'll see a plethora of naked bros in comparable advertisements.
2. Secondly, modern feminist critiques of American (or Western) sexual solicitation via advertising acknowledge the ultimate role women play in objectifying themselves. Claiming that the media (or powerful males) are to blame for this breed of smut undermines the empowerment of the formerly subjected gender.
In short, women maintain control of their own bodies... we draw this conclusion from the principles of equal rights. Perhaps the real issue lies within Western consumerism's intrinsic attachment to all things sexual.
Good luck with everything people!
I whole heartedly agree that the issue lies within "Western consumerism's intrinsic attachment to all things sexual." In the end it all comes to down $$$ and if company's didn't feel that these ads could increase sales they wouldn't run them. I also agree that women are in control of their own bodies. However, the question is where do we draw the line? How far is too far? It's easy to say that companies need to have a moral/ethical responsibility to avoid these types of ads but when there's a financial disincentive not to run them how much are they to blame? In the end if there's not better regulation on what companies can/can't run the battle is an uphill one.
ReplyDeleteJesse,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment. In this particular study we are only addressing female is male magazines. I do agree there is a lot of male objectification also. In order to help make a point we had to narrow our topic to focus on only a few problems.
I think this whole blog is unfair. These women were more than aware as to what these pictures were going to be used for. Men are going to lust after women forever. It doesn't matter how many layers of clothes you put on. It's human nature for men to be sexually attracted to women and more so to the ones wearing less. It's not just men's magazines I have seen these ads in but women's magazines as well. Most men want women to look sexy and most women want to look sexy. If that wasn't the case, these ads wouldn't exist. To me this goes beyond fear that men will regard women in a sexual way (which they will NO MATTER WHAT)and is more or a less a case of jealousy. "If I can't look that good and get that same kind of attention, then I will blame men for liking that sort of thing." Stop generalizing (ie, women don't like to be objectified) and simply state that YOU don't want to be objectified. I am sure if you don't wear make-up or revealing clothes, the type of men that enjoy scantily clad women in magazines will simply continue to ignore you. That's more than a fair trade off.
ReplyDelete