Ashley Chong
Derek Gladwin
Essay #2
2/7/2015

Does sex sell?
It is quite common nowadays for a young woman to flip through a consumer magazine or turn on the television and find provocative images of beautiful women, and men, in revealing outfits selling a wide range of branded goods. Sexual imagery, varying from modest to the obscene, is used throughout much of the commercial advertising in today’s social media. According to Branding Strategy Insider, “Sexual information does grab attention. Sex evokes a hardwired emotional response that is linked to species survival” (Daye). In the advertising world, employing sexual imagery is an effective means to draw attention to a product. However, the marketing industry must be wary of images that traditionalize or stereotype male-female gender roles.

The above advertisement is a good example of an advertisement that uses sexual imagery to draw attention to a product. The above image shows two women holding two different food bars. Both women are of similar height, ethnicity and hair color. The differences between the women are that the woman on the left is a plus-size woman holding a sugary candy bar whereas the woman on the right is a lean woman holding a Detour protein bar. The text at the top of the advertisement states, “There’s Candy Bars...Then There’s PROTEIN Candy Bars.” (Cape).

The advertisers of the referenced image use a, “if you eat this product, then you get this result” sort-of comparison when describing both of the women and both of the food bars. The chocolate candy bar, assuming that it is similar to most candy bars, is high in sugar, and is considered to be full of “empty calories”. The term “empty calories” means that this snack has a high caloric content, containing few to no essential nutrients, such as vitamins and minerals. Similar foods, considered to be “junk food”, which consist of plenty of empty calories, would be cakes, sodas, ice cream and pastries. Usually, when humans subsist of these high-calorie foods, they gain weight and excess fat. The woman on the left has a higher body-fat percentage than the woman on the right and the advertisement is conveying the idea that the consumption of candy bars is responsible for her current state.

In contrast to the woman on the left, the woman on the right is an extremely fit woman, who is more in-line with what is considered to be physically attractive today. She is holding a protein bar; which is a food bar that contains a high percentage of protein. The consumption of protein is related to bodybuilding and fitness. The benefits of consuming adequate protein includes, but is not limited to, better muscle recovery after a workout, and increased energy before and after weight training. Protein is also necessary for the growth of hair and nails. The woman on the right has a body that is desired by many men, and envied by many women. The advertisement is conveying the message that the woman on the right’s condition is due to the beneficial effects of consuming adequate amounts of protein, or more specifically, due to the consumption of Detour Protein Bars.

The creator of the protein bar, Forward Foods, LLC, is using sexual imagery as a part of their advertising in order to sell their product. The ad infers the argument that by consuming Detour Protein Bars, the target audience, young adult women, will become physically attractive. The manufacturer’s use of sexual imagery as a part of this advertisement is an effective way of selling their product since the symbolism plays to the human aspiration to become physically fit and human’s desire to become attractive to the opposite sex.

This advertisement is presenting the idea that choosing the protein bar over the sugary candy bar would lead to a young woman becoming physically fit. This type of advertising appeals to a lot of people, since many Americans are pursuing physical fitness or have the need to pursue physical fitness. For example, more than two-thirds of adults are overweight or obese (Ogden et al., 2014). If you go to a bookstore for instance, you will find whole sections dedicated to dieting, exercise and weight loss. Even on late night television, there are commercials that promise how a pill will help the target audience lose weight in a short amount of time. In actuality, it is proper diet and exercise that leads to physical fitness; however, these weight-loss products continue to sell, so it is clear that adhering to society’s need to become fit is an effective way to draw attention to a product.

Social media, television and other advertisements play a big role in establishing what is considered to be both sexy and beautiful by society. People want to look sexy and attractive, and we measure our physical appearance based on comparisons against the sexual attractiveness portrayed by social media. The failure to match or exceed these perceptions of attractiveness can lead to women feeling unwanted or socially inept amongst society. For example, the theme of “acceptance” and “fitting-in” is heavily portrayed in many films within a high school setting. The advertisement’s argument, that consuming Detour Protein Bars will lead to an increase in physical attractiveness, is a major pull and is an effective argument for drawing attention to their product.

While the use of sex appeal is determined to be an effective way to sell some products, there is a pitfall to consider. Within the above advertisement, the scantily-clad woman on the right is depicting an established stereotypical gender role. The stereotype is that young adult women should be skinny and are urged to constantly pursue beauty and sex appeal. Gender stereotyping in advertising, as seen above, can be considered as a turn-off by some. This is especially true when directed at an intelligent audience. Some feminist would see the sexual objectification as insulting and would condemn such advertising. This would be especially true if the product in question, the protein bar, had nothing to do with sex to begin with.

This advertisement is effective in arguing that by eating a protein bar, the consumption of protein will help you become fit and socially accepted by society. The advertisement gets their key message across by comparing the detrimental outcome of eating too many candy bars versus the perceived benefits of eating their protein bars. The perceived benefits include becoming sexually attractive and physically fit. These perceived benefits are a strong draw for the target audience of young women. It is true that the use of sexual imagery in advertising can alienate some viewers; however, the consumption of protein is loosely tied with increased sex appeal. The consumption of adequate protein is an important part in becoming healthy and physically fit, and being physically fit is considered attractive by society. Overall, the advertisement does a great job of arguing for their product.

In conclusion, the above image is a “tongue-and-cheek” method for advertising the potential benefits of consuming the Detour Protein Bar. The advertiser’s argument of promising higher fitness and sex appeal is alluring. This same use of sex appeal may turn off some viewers, but the sexual imagery is so superfluous that it is difficult for the audience to be seriously offended. At the very least, the manufacturer succeeded in drawing attention to their product.

Daye, Derrick. “Does Sex in Advertising Work.” Branding Strategy Insider. 22 March 2008. Web. 11 February 2015

Cape, Matt. “Advertisements.” Ws200jennifer. 2011. Web. 4 February 2011.

Ogden C. L., Carroll, M. D., Kit, B.K., & Flegal K. M. (2014). Prevalence of childhood and adult obesity in the United States, 2011-2012. Journal of the American Medical Association, 311(8), 806-814.