Sex Sells

I was asked to be in Vogue but I said no. I didn't want to advertise make-up. I didn't want to be seen as a sex symbol. - Francesca Annis

For our promotional campaign project we decided to focus on how and why sex sells, and has it gone too far now?

Courtney and Whipple (1983, p.103) described sex in advertising as 'sexuality in the form of nudity, sexual imagery, innuendo and double entendre…employed as an advertising tool for a wide variety of products.' 

Watching advertisements now on television, you may notice how often sexual images are used, for example revealing clothes worn in perfume adverts. The theory behind this is that women feel as though if they buy this perfume they'll look as sexy as the model. If men watch this advertisement they'll feel as buying this perfume for their wife or girlfriend they may look as attractive as her too.

I feel if advertisers use sexual imagery in an acceptable and suitable manner it will work well., aslong as it is done tastefully.

The video below is one example. This is for DKNY fragrances, by using sexual interactions between the two models, consumers can be made to believe that buying these products will encourage themselves and their partner to be as close and as intimate as they are in the advertisement.

Advertisers also use the celebrity endorsement effect on consumers. By using famous celebrities, consumers who look up to these as models are attracted to the product, whether its their physical or social attributes.

One example of celebrity endorsement - Cheryl Cole in L'Oreal Elnett hairspray advertisement. Cheryl Cole is famous and known to be an attractive and successful woman. Using the hairspray consumers may believe they'll become as attractive as her and in turn become successful in their career.

 Not only have advertisements taken on the sexual attraction route, but music videos have too. Including one of the most famous artists Rihanna. However, her video for S&M has been banned in over 11 countries and the song is now also no longer being played before 7pm on radio stations due to it's racy lyrics.

So has sex selling gone too far? Due to the amount of times magazines have been criticized for encouraging teenagers and women to become anorexic, some say it has. Therefore we investigate this in our campaign video, interviewing people we know to see what they think...

During the process of creating our campaign, it really opened our eyes. We realised how much the 'sex sells' route is actually used because we see it so much in our daily lives, we've become accustomed to it and has become almost normal to us. 




Courtney, A.E., & Whipple, T.W. (1983).  Sex, stereotyping and advertising.  Lexington, MA: Heath