Advertising

Advertising either is present in most forms of media or stands alone, as on the ubiquitous billboard. Sexual images, often blatant but sometimes subtle, are designed to help attract attention to and sell products. An ad that has high sexual appeal can be a powerful marketing tool. For example, jeans sales doubled following the 1980s ad in which a young Brooke Shields promised that nothing came between her and her Cal­vin Klein jeans (Kuriansky, 1996). Advertising relies on the false prom­ises that love or sex or both will come with the acquisition of a certain beauty product, brand of liquor, brand of clothing, sound system, or car. Most sexual content in advertising trivializes sex and reinforces the idea that only young, hard male and female bodies merit attraction. The exception to this rule is advertising aimed at the large consumer group of aging baby boomers. Occasionally, advertising helps to break down taboos. For example, presidential candidate Bob Dole’s advertisements for Viagra helped bring erectile dysfunction into public discourse.