Objectifying women/women allowing themselves to be objectified

[IDrinkaRum]

I read Maxim and look at the pictures.

I read playboy and look at the pictures. Corey Feldmna's wife was, "eh" but the Shannen Doherty one - Whoa buddy!

I love going to strip clubs and to Hooters. (Though I do not think the Hooters girls are strippers).

I like the Hooters waitresses because they're usually nicer to me 'cos I'm the chick at the table and I'll reign in my guy (who doesn't flirt anyways).

Naked bodies are naked bodies. Half-clothed bodies are half-clothed bodies. Fully-clothed bodies are fully-clothed bodies. Doesn't bother me.

If the women want to do what they want to do (strip, waitress at Hooters, show it all for a mag), I say "more power to them", they're doing what they want to do and darn to anyone else.

As for the make-up? I wish I knew how to put it on correctly 'cos I'd be wearing it more.

[Rapscallion]

Anyway. The other end of the spectrum is how do other women feel about things like playboy and maxim? How do you guys feel about advertisements that clearly use women as objects to sell their products?

The interesting thing for me is that commercially they're a success. Adult magazines are regularly a significant proportion of the top one hundred selling magazines in the UK, or at least that was the case about fifteen years back when I saw some research. The digital age may have changed that somewhat.

Selling sex imagery works.

Selling other things with attractive women as the clincher to the audience? Simply put, if it didn't work then the advertisers wouldn't do it. I've seen adverts aimed at women that had sexy women in them - adverts aimed at men often have blokes who wouldn't be out of place on a catwalk stripping down to the shaved flesh, so there must be something in the idea that it's trying to make the viewer think that they can look like that as well.

Rapscallion

[DesignFox]

All good points Raps.

I've always wondered though at the clothing ads that depict half naked people...

Um..how does not even showing me the clothing make me want to buy it? There's a billboard for Abercrombie and Fitch that shows a guy (no face, just the chest and abs) with no shirt and the pants hanging rather...low...and his hand down his pants- not in the pocket- DOWN his pants. I just don't get it.

[linguist]

Any company that has an ad campaign I disapprove of doesn't get my money.

if the company you work for was to launch an ad campaign you disapprove of, would you quit? i mean, after all, those objectionable ads are in some small way helping to pay your salary.

i only ask out of curiosity, as it's been my experience with many of my friends who make absolutist statements like "i would never do business with company x because of reason y" that when it comes down to choosing between convictions and standard of living, suddenly things that were "evil" before aren't so bad.

[AFPheonix]

All good points Raps.

I've always wondered though at the clothing ads that depict half naked people...

Um..how does not even showing me the clothing make me want to buy it? There's a billboard for Abercrombie and Fitch that shows a guy (no face, just the chest and abs) with no shirt and the pants hanging rather...low...and his hand down his pants- not in the pocket- DOWN his pants. I just don't get it.

Because it's not selling clothing so much as it's selling an image that some people would buy so they can project. People LIKE being sexy, beautiful, lusted after (well, to a point anyways). Buy my Hollister clothes and you too can either be this guy with a 12 pack or you can be the girl that bags him later tonight! Woo!

I really don't have a problem with using sex to sell. Sex is extremely powerful and using imagery of it sticks in your brain and it works well with branding. If people fall for it, well, yay for the ad execs I suppose.

As for makeup, I really only wear it for horse shows anymore. Yay for fun lipstick, smooth black chaps and jackets dripping with rhinestones! You should try western Design Fox. Come, join the darkside

[blas87]

I don't think there's anything wrong with women posing for Playboy or Hustler....you got it, flaunt it!

There are magazines with naked men in them. Don't forget naked men.

Let's not make it a double standard. Either sex can do it.

[Slytovhand]

Are we going to have a problem with breathing? Or eating?? Or the heart pumping blood???

If not, then why should we get annoyed because we also have a part of the brain that is programmed to be interested in this thing called 'sex'? - to the point that it is a major part of our biology. To that part of the brain, the body is all that matters - the personality and intellect is completely irrelevant... UGH! Me Grog!!!

It works pretty much the same was as the reptilian part of our brain when we experience fear, and get into the fight or flight reaction... except, this bit is the flight or fornicate reaction.

Does it matter what century we're in? Humans are still going to be humans...

I was told the other week, in France, they have free porn channels (after midnight). In other areas of Europe, they are considered more 'liberal' with their views on sexuality anyway... I'd say the whole question relates to what culture we're brought up in.

[DesignFox]

*shrug* to answer the question of my work ethic- I currently do not work for a company that uses sex to sell it's products. It is also a company unlikely to do so.

I just consider the whole concept cheap and taundry.

It's not the sex itself that bothers me. It's the imbalance of only women being used as objects to sell other objects. And you can certainly use a sexy lady (or man) to sell a product, without completely objectifying her (or him).

With the exception of Ambercrombie, Calvin Klein... I can't think of many companies whose ad campaigns use half naked men to sell products, anyway.

And for certain products, I don't understand only marketing to men. As in the ISP commercial that I so despise.

To me, when I see a commercial like that, I see "Oh. We couldn't come up with anything clever...let's just throw some chicks in there. That works every time."

Free porn channels? Well, why not? Just because I don't like it, doesn't mean I'd stop others from enjoying it. I just won't flip to that channel. I would expect that friends or SO's of mine would not flip to that channel in my presence.

It's hard for me to explain. I don't have a problem with naked people. I don't have a problem with sex. I have a problem when it crosses the line into cheap and objectifying. I suppose that line is different for everybody. I don't directly *protest* such things, but I'm going to try my best not to support them, either.

I think actually the best example I can give at the moment is blas's bikini contest. If you view both photos- blas looks beautiful. She's embracing her appearance, flaunting what she's got. The "Miss America" as she put it.

The other girl? I think it was smiley that said he thought she looked "trashy." Can't say I disagree. I don't know the girl so I'm not going to malign her character, but that photo doesn't give me a favorable impression.

[blas87]

Aw thanks Fox. You and I really need to get together sometime!

I understand where you're coming from, trust me. It does get a little irritating when sex appeal seems to be the only tactic for some companies.

On that note, though, for example, using Catherine Zeta Jones for T-Mobile is a great idea, she's very sophisticated and gorgeous and not trashy and overly sexual.

There's ways to be sexy, and then there's just nasty. I have far too many examples of nasty going on in my head that I really can't list them all.

[DesignFox]

Aw thanks Fox. You and I really need to get together sometime!

I wish I wasn't so many states away. It sounds liked we'd get along pretty well.

On that note, though, for example, using Catherine Zeta Jones for T-Mobile is a great idea, she's very sophisticated and gorgeous and not trashy and overly sexual.

There's ways to be sexy, and then there's just nasty. I have far too many examples of nasty going on in my head that I really can't list them all.

Yes! That's exactly what I'm saying. The T-Mobile commercial uses sex appeal- but not in a sleazy manner. (I actually thought that it was pretty funny) Good example!

[Lace Neil Singer]

With the exception of Ambercrombie, Calvin Klein... I can't think of many companies whose ad campaigns use half naked men to sell products, anyway.

Diet Coke. XD Or at least, they used to. The ad typically showed a guy stripped to the waist drinking Diet Coke; seeing as the drink is aimed at women mostly, it actually makes sense to use a half naked guy to sell it. At the moment they're using a woman, but in a "have a Diet Coke and some me time!" way so she's fully clothed.

[Boozy]

With the exception of Ambercrombie, Calvin Klein... I can't think of many companies whose ad campaigns use half naked men to sell products, anyway.

To be fair, men are more likely to be aroused visually. That's why you see more half-naked women in ads than men.

If I recall my marketing courses correctly, men are more likely to buy a product whose ad features a woman they find attractive. Not so with women viewing ads with attractive men. There are better things to put in advertisements aimed at women that will be far more effective in causing them to purchase said product.

Put bluntly, it's trickier to advertise to women than men. It's harder to catch their eye, for one. A pair of boobs will get most men to look at your advertisement for a few seconds. Women require a bit more subtlety.

If it's sexism, I don't know what we can do about it. Straight men like boobs. Advertisers like to feature things that consumers like. Not much we can do to change these facts.

[PepperElf]

i don't always like the idea of women having to do any of that for money ... but... at the same time... as long as they're legally able to consent to it, then i don't care what they do.

[blas87]

I must be one odd chick, because show me a picture of a hot guy with a great body and I'll be drooling and needing to change my pants.

[Peppergirl]

I must be one odd chick, because show me a picture of a hot guy with a great body and I'll be drooling and needing to change my pants.

Not really. While I wouldn't go THAT far (haha), I am very visually stimulated too, at least for a female.