Wild, Sexy and Tempted

Advertising is a form of communication, which allows companies to persuade customers into purchasing or consuming their products. Sex and sexual images have become more accepted in the mass media (magazines, television and internet) to persuade women to think that what they see in ads is more appealing to the eye than what they see in the mirror of themselves. A woman is portrayed in advertisements as sexy, wild, young, and thin rather as being successful, educated and realistic. The definition of a woman's characteristics has been manipulated by marketers, by using items women are associated with to define what kind of person she is, For example, the ad “b. tempted” from Glamour October 2011 issue (a magazine for young women interested in fashion, beauty and a contemporary lifestyle) illustrates a woman in leopard print lingerie positioned in a chair. Although it’s simply panties and a bra, its meaning is still complex. In this essay I will argue that women wearing animal print are portrayed as being wild, sexy and tempted. A woman no longer has a voice to express who she is; instead her apparel speaks for her.
Women in various ads are seen wearing, portraying and mimicking animals to expose their wild inner self. For example, the woman in the “b tempted” ad is wearing a matching leopard print panties and bra set, symbolizing her wild, erotic side of being aggressive and untamed. As she is slightly leaning to her left side she is glancing at her audience with her left eye full of boldness. This ad is insinuating that wearing animal print lingerie will give you the confidence to “Be tempted to be yourself” illustrated on the left corner of the ad. “Being tempted to be you” encourages women to reveal their wild inner self which compliments the animal print. The dark stripy background gives an illusion as if she is in a confined setting as the way a wild animal is restricted from the outside. The left side of her body image symbolizes boldness, from the position of her left hand which is balled up and the confidence in her eyes to her auburn wavy- straight long hair. The woman is exposing her sneaky wild side giving the illusion of being a leopard, as she sits plotting on her next prey (a man). The identification of women wearing animal print (like the woman in the ad) are seen as being wild, because of the association of the animals they choose to wear. Wearing animal print not only defines women as being wild but as being sexy, as well. As seen in the ad, the woman is wearing lingerie, which is known to be sexy, seductive, and provocative. The lighting upon her body emphasizes her breast and abdominal specifically to highlight her sexual features (men would consider sexy on the woman’s body). Her long auburn hair pushed away from her is very seductive, revealing her beautiful face and bone structure. The woman’s right eye completes her facial expression of “come and get it” as it is seductive, dark, and slightly closed expressing her mood of feeling sexy. Her erotic expression is defined in the positioning of her right arm as it’s lifted above her head. In this ad the woman is displaying her sexual inner self, as she poses in lingerie. The lace that is trimmed around her panties and bra completes the finish package of sexiness captured in the ad. When a man sees a woman in her eye- catching undergarments, he automatically describes her as being “sexy,” as when women puts it on, she sees herself in that same sense. Sexy lingerie is worn for temptation, pleasure and satisfaction, women that wear it are perceived as sexy.
In addition to the ad portraying women to be wild and sexy while wearing animal print lingerie, the ad is persuading its viewer (young women) to “b tempt’d” (the name of the lingerie line). “B. tempt’d” plays one the concept of women being themselves, but in contrast could mean the total opposite. The audience could complete the phrase” b. tempt’d” in many ways; for instance, be tempt’d to be promiscuous or dehumanize by men (seen as just an object). According to the ad the examples I just mentioned are depicted by the woman in the ad, as a result to how this ad could be broken down, considering the image and the words of choice. The words “b. tempt’d” could also be perceived as a woman exposing her alter ego. Although the ad states to be you, a woman who may not consider herself as sexy, wild or confident could be tempted to bring her dark side out, which could be triggered by the influence of alcohol or drugs. The content of words could be misconceived in ads, although they are in plain text they could mean various things, rather than what they simply say. When a woman is seen in lingerie, she is automatically seen as being sexually attractive, wild and tempted to engage in sex. Wearing animal print undergarments makes that assumption just true; Animal prints are symbols of wild animals and when worn by women they can be portrayed as a wild animal in the Amazon. The leopard print worn by the woman in this ad displays the three common thing's people associate with animal prints as being wild, sexy and tempted. All three of these associations with lingerie are ways women can express themselves, specifically explained in the ad “be tempted to be yourself”. When women wear lingerie specifically animal print Therefore, the leopard lingerie worn is related to pleasure and also describes the woman in the ad. As evidence in the ad “b tempted” makes clear women wearing an animal print are seen being wild, sexy and tempted. Women have no reason to be themselves when their appeal speaks for who they are. Therefore, my argument still stands women wearing animal print are portrayed as being wild, sexy and tempted.