What do you think of when you contemplate a Guess Ad? Probably of promiscuous women, in enticing poses, wearing heavy makeup. Right? Right. Well, generally, these kinds of Ads and so many more are what encourage the societal view of women as sexual objects, and affect the general empowerment of women. I would like to look specifically at the ads assigned by Guess Magazine, as I find these to be the most inappropriate and targeted towards young girls to look and act a certain way. Several images of those include...
These images are those of real women, from real ads, posted by Guess Magazine. The first is of famous Superbowl and Instagram model known as Charlotte McKinney, who was a guess girl in 2015 (at age 21). The second is of a model and actress known as Irina Valeryevna Shaykhlislamova, popularly remarked as "Irina Shayk." This model appeared in the 2015 fall issue at age 29, advertising "denim" clothing (while in those positions...I wonder if it was the denim or her which was being shown). Last, but not least, is Tori Praver, known to be the youngest model to ever advertise for guess at age 17 (this was in 2006, as she is now 28 years old). All of these women have legitimate lives with legitimate families, and lead their own personal affairs. Yet...in these advertisements they are made to seem as if they are only objects used to attract individuals to buy their clothing, without their own human lives and human perspective. Of course, they all agreed to pose in such advertisements in such a manner, but at what rate is such agreement becoming a problem? According to Trachtenberg from the early Forbes magazine, "Erotic messages in advertising have traditionally been conveyed by decidedly sexual means, and Jean Kilbourne thinks they still are." This shows that, even from a such an early time, sexualization in advertisements (especially of women) has existed and still exists. Through such ideals, women may see themselves as inferior to men and simply sexual beings, with nothing else in mind. Sex is something which has been in advertising since the beginning of time (Trachtenberg, 1986), and it doesn't seem to be going away anytime soon. So, how can we put a stop to this issue? Simply create ads which are less targeted towards sex and women, but focus on the actual product. This may cause a decrease in sales for the company, as sex in advertisements has proven to sell a product at incredible percentages (Trachtenberg, 1986). According to the vice president of the Hennessy company at the time, Clint Rodenberg, the sales of their company were able to increase by a whooping total of 4.5% in a year, which is 1.5% more than the annual expected rate of alcohol growth (usually 3%). Sales may decrease for several companies, and hardships will definitely have to be faced, but I believe this to be much more important and valuable than the simple success of a few companies due to some ads. In the long run, if we quit this now, women will be taught that sex is not such a "glamorous" and public thing as it is a private and serious matter (Trachtenberg, 1986). Additionally, young women and girls will not be taught that this is what they are expected to live up to, as they will then be able to pursue greater endeavors than just looking nice for the sensuality of men.
Thank you.
References
Trachtenberg, J. (1986, June 2). Blatantly Sexual Advertisements Boost Sales. Ottawa Citizen, pp. A13-A16.
Thank you.
References
Trachtenberg, J. (1986, June 2). Blatantly Sexual Advertisements Boost Sales. Ottawa Citizen, pp. A13-A16.