First essay draft

Gayle Smith

How have representations of men in advertising since the 1980's mirrored that of the representation of women since 1950's?

Sexualisation is when a person's values comes from only his or her sexual appeal or behaviour, this excludes all other characteristics and makes this person into an object. Sex in advertising is "words and images calculated to arouse sexual desire" 

(Sylvia Plachy and James Ridgeway. 1996. Red Light: Inside The Sex Industry Page 42)

Right from the start of advertising, women have been viewed and depicted as sexualised objects due to the ways in which the media has represented them. The images vary from overtly sexualised and erotic to subtle and suggestive. 

Across many forms of media it appears evident that we live in a world that is sexualised. Magazines, television adverts, video games, adverts on the internet and even music videos are shown in a sexual way in which women are usually the objects of sexualisation in the advert. 

For centuries the media has sexualised women and portrayed them as objects that belong to men.

With overtly sexualised images in the media it has become increasingly hard for women to be happy with the way they look without comparing themselves to the images shown in the media. 

Increasingly this is similar to men as the use of men in advertising has become more prominent and is slowly catching up with how women are being portrayed. 

"Although the sex business is often portrayed as antisocial, it in fact functions as an agent of social control. It takes the human hunger for sex and power and objectifies it, splitting it up and repackaging it as a commercial product-a product that incorporates the worn-out fantasies of a pre feminist world view, where men are in control, and women are idealised objects of desire."

(Sylvia Plachy and James Ridgeway. 1996. Red Light: Inside The Sex Industry Page 20)

Some women feel that they should treat there bodies as sexual objects as that is how they are being portrayed. With woman treating there bodies in this way, this leads to women believe that is all that is important. With all adverts showing women as sexualised objects men begin to think that the sexual image of a female is important and makes them attractive. 

Although overtly sexualised adverts contain women, men are now creeping into the lime light and are being used a sexual objects, I have found four main artefacts that are perfect examples and similarities to how women where depicted and sexualised. Two of which are clothing brands, one an aftershave advert and one an electrical appliance advert for a vacuum company. 

In my opinion the sexualisation of men has flipped the advertising world. I think there are direct links and references to the past to how women were, and have been portrayed. 

Men are predominately the ones who are being targeted by the advertisers and it has been this way for many years, "For those who might argue that this is a resolutely sexist justification, sex appeal was never solely designed to titillate men. Women were also targeted for arousal as consumers. Somewhere within the paradigm of objectification, women were exposed to their own secret fantasies as well. Much mainstream advertising for products and services that employed (and exploited) sensual females were aimed at women consumers. Sure, men savor bra ads in the Sunday New York Times Magazine, but the buyers of intimate apparel are women. Fashion and cosmetic ads routinely propagate the ideal woman and promote the ingredients for making her more attractive to both men and herself.  Sex appeal is as much about creating a standard for American women as it is about stimulating American men. Of corse, today men are also props. Sweaty muscular bodies covered only by tight-fitting workout clothes have been proven to excite women as the pinup does heterosexual men. And now that homosexuality and lesbianism are tolerated in mainstream media, sex appeal is aimed at even wider, more diverse audiences."

(Steven Heller. 2000. Sex Appeal Intro section xiv)

The advert I found first was a clothing advert for Emporio Armani with celebrity icon David Beckham. The images is in black and white which suggests its taken on an old fashioned camera. He is photographed with his legs slightly spread apart and arms to the side; this enables the viewer to see the torso clearly. 

This sort of imagery is a direct link to how women used to be portrayed in paintings: such as The Venus of Urbino painted in 1538 by Italian painter Titian she is led on a bed looking directly at the viewer, her body is exposed however her private area is covered as is the Armani advert where small briefs are being worn/advertised. 

Another example of clothing adverts is Abercrombie and Fitch. The adverts are overtly sexualised not just the images of women used in there advertisements but also the images of men are similar in the way they look. The image I found is one in which the torso is really the only part of the body present. It would seem that the photographer has cut the photograph from the neck up suggesting that this person does not have a head and the images goes no lower that the waist. This use of sexualisation is suggestive that this person is purely an object to be gazed at. The company has caused great controversies over how they advertise and how overtly sexual there images in advertising really are. "Abercrombie & Fitch, one of the most successful and trendy US clothing manufacturers, now puts its catalogues (which are geared to college students) in plastic bags to prevent them from being opened casually, because of controversy over the sexualized images of young people contained in them."

(Sexualised Images in Advertising by Jane Tallim, Media Awarenss Network, May 2003. eJournal)

I then found an image that used men in an overtly sexual way being dominated by a female, this is very clearly the best example of sexualisation and domination. As an advert for an vacuum company the imagery is simply unbelievable, it is totally relying on sex to sell the product.The vacuum is in the corner of the image with the main focus on the male with his hand tied behind his back by the cord of the vacuum, this is a direct connection to sex used to sell a fantasy.

My last artefact is an aftershave advert for Dolce & Gabbana- Light Blue. The male is led with his arm behind his head looking seductive and sexual lead in a position which women are seen to be often positioned. This advert has all the classic aspects of males being used in advertising as I seemed to have found a trend with how the male models 'should look'. Women, I think have a certain look that they need to fulfil to give off the sexual ora in advertising. "Women's open, moist and lipstick-red lips, half closed eyelids or hands suggestively placed on a bare bosom or stomach are staple elements in pornography,"

(Susanna Paasonen, Kaarina Nikunen and Laura Saarenmaa. 2007. Pornification Sex and Sexuality in Media Culture. Page 1)

Although women are seen as sex objects the women viewer is seeing the brand behind the advertising however the male audience is only able to see the gorgeous women present in the advert. But could this be the same for the way in which some women look at the adverts containing men. 

All these adverts of males I have come across surprised me, they all seem to have very similar looks. I think this proves that when advertisers consider using sex in advertising they all have the same idea of 'what people want to see'. This is also reflective in the use of women in advertising. 

In todays society, looks and beauty is a major concern. Young children exposed to overtly sexualised advertising and images can be harmful and corrupt childhood. It can trigger eating disorders, low self-esteem and depression. This is often spoken about with connection to young woman but not  as well known in young men. Perhaps with this recent slide of males now being used as sex objects this could affect young boys which would lead to them being body conscious. Christina Hoff Sommers and Naomi Wolf are feminist authors who say that women have been led to a role reverse because of women's sexual liberations, in which women are viewing the male as the object of the gaze, in a similar way to how they criticise the male's treatment to women. 

The objectification of men can lead to negative body image among men in which is similar to women; research has suggested these psychological effects. 

Although men "have dropped their guard and admitted they care what women think of their looks."  (Paco Underhill and Ed Shirley. 2010. All Is Vanity: Grooming Brands Target Men With Ads Using Sex, Humour. eJournal)

is it this going to seriously affect young boys as the sexualisation does to young girls, I think this will come more clear the more males are sexualised in advertising. 

In conclusion I don't necessarily think that the use of males in advertising has caught up with how women are used, however I do think they are being overtly sexualised as women always have been. I think men being used in advertising is a problem as this would trigger issues for young boys and have the stress that young girls already are burdened with. 

I think overtly sexualised images are not good for society as people are only aware and only consider how people look, making people only consider others beauty and making people conscious. 

This subject is very large and after my research I have realised I have only just touched the sides of this large issue. 

1542 word count

Chosen 3 artifacts

My chosen artifacts are Chosen artifact is Clothing Lines:

Emporio Armani including David Beckham (looking like how a women would have been painted) 

Abercrombie and Fitch advert the images used are either sepia or black and white which is like old fashion photography.

My second chosen artifact is Aftershave:
I have chosen the Dolce & Gabbana advert

My third chosen artifact is electrical appliances:

Can you believe this is an advert for a vacuum, this is definitely a perfect example of sexualisation using men in advertising. 

My Essay Structure

My Questions..
How have representations of men in advertising since 1980's mirrored that of the representation of women since the 1950's?

• What is the sexualisation?
• Introductions on subject
• Consider my three artifacts
• The history and comparisons
• Meanings 
• My opinions
• Who this sort of advertising affects and how?
• Conclusion

Men used in Hollister advertising looking overtly sexual

 This male is clearly led down, with 'sexy looking eyes' looking directly at the camera. He arms are in such a sexual position- one rustling the hair and the other around his neck. As the image is from chest up you can see that he doesn't have a top on.

This male model is led against a tree, with his arm around the back of his neck. He has quite a 'tight' looking body however again this model is not overly muscular. He is smiling which you don't seem to see in advertising. He is also slightly pulling at the side of his shorts to give an impression that after the shot he pulled them down?

His male model clearly has a very impressive body that is very toned. His swim shorts are very low which could make people think how low? You cannot see the models face as it is not in the shot, why have they left his face out? Are people only interested in the body? It also has a full view of the upper body as there is no arms or clothing to distract from the body, it almost seems very open.

 This males hands are rustling through his hair, this is deemed to be a sexy 'move'. He is smiling as is the one above. The model has very low trousers to reveal all.

This model is led very open- both arms behind his head and his legs spread apart and one up. He has a t-shirt around his neck however it is not on properly but revealing enough of the body. 
















Interesting when I typed in Hollister advertising (which is very much a young surfer clothing range) it suggested that I wanted to look at Abercrombie and Fitch's advertising perhaps as there advertising is very similar but it is interesting as there clothing lines are very different !

Men used in Abercrombie and Fitch advertising looking overtly sexual

Abercrombie and Fitch adverts:

Abercrombie and Fitch sells a lot of surfer style clothing, underwear, accessories and smellies. They are a well known and trendy brand. When buying a product the items go into on of the bags- either a female bag or a male bag both images I personally find rather revealing for simply a carrier bag if I am honest! 

These images above I managed to find of just a small selection of there adverts containing males. I think this type of marketing is clearly directed at the teenage girl age range.

The males used in these adverts all seem to be quite young. (mid 20's maybe)

The guys are positioned in very sexual ways or looking overtly sexual:

For example the first advert: His arms are behind his back and he is really showing off his upper boys and extending it by stretching it with his arms. He has a choppy looking hair cut with the messy look and he seems to be looking off the shot to the left but in a mysterious sexy way which gives the illusion that he is hiding something. 

Second advert: This is overtly sexual! He is doing a very typical womanly pose, rustling the hair and dragging it backwards and lifting the top to reveal some body but not all, so again its that whole sense of mystery and being a bit secret. It's actually quite a dark images also with only a selective light. (very much like there stores actually, perhaps thats why they have used black and white imagery)

Third advert: So this advert is purely focused on the males body this is obvious as there is no head in the frame. Again a typical tight looking body and arms but not overly muscular arms. I think its a very sexual position as he is leaning against a tree with one hand pulling the side of his trousers down (very far many I add) and the other hand resting away from the body. But yes very low jeans.
Fourth advert: The advert isn't necessarily overly sexual however the two men have there full top parts of their bodies out, it doesn't really scream what they products they are trying to advertise apart from the t-shirts barely visible slung over their shoulders but look how low there jeans are!!
Very low, so low that the male on the right hand side looks like he is trying to pull them up. 

Men used in advertising looking overtly sexual

This Davidoff advert is very much what I am thinking about but in a picture.

He actor is shown looking dripping wet like something out of Baywatch, he is shown with very blue water with a shimmer on the top, I think this gives sense of a hot country.

He has facial hair which is very sort of rugged looking which some women find very attractive. He also has quite long floating hair and it looks like it has been swept back or pulled over his head once he has got out of the water. By looking at this advert he is a very well toned guy with a tight stomach however he doesn't look very muscular around the arms, which I find interesting! As you can only see him from his waist up you can only see what looks like the top of a pair of shorts however he clearly isn't wearing anything on the upper half of his body. He isn't looking at the camera he is looking off at an angle which perhaps this shows no contact?

This advert is for Calvin Klein. It is a black and white image similar to the famous David Beckham advert (see below). He is looking off the shot same as the advert above so perhaps not to make it seem like eye contact is being made?
This male in this advert is not afraid to show flesh as he only has a very small tight pair of briefs on. His hair is swept back and appears to be quite long actually. He is looking out of the frame and not directly at the person looking at the advert perhaps to show longing? Again he is a well toned male however he is also not big or bulky, the advertisers obviously have a clear depiction to what women find attractive. Most of this males body is out on display.






This is a very famous advert for Emporio Armani as the character is David Beckham. He is led in a typical seductive position with this legs spread apart looking directly at the viewer making full eye contact. He is also led with his arm slightly apart to give the 'come on girls' look to the way he is led. His hair is very short in this advert he still has the very manly facial hair that you can just about see as the image is black and white. I think they have used black and white as it gives a sense of secrecy and you can really the tones of his muscles. He is showing a typical look of tight white briefs (leaving not much to the imagination) and his shirt looks like it is falling of him.

This advert is for an aftershave called Light Blue by Dolce and Gabbana. There are two sides to this as there is an advert including just a female and this advert including a male. This is very clever as it is targeting both the audiences. He is led down on a boat in a  sunny beautiful location. His body is in full view, wearing rather a revealing piece of swim wear. His body is quite tight and built and looks quite oily which in affect works with the surroundings of the advert. The way he is positioned is very much like 'come and get me ladies' with his arm casually behind his head and the top of his legs in the shot slightly spread apart.

This advert is for a Calvin Klein aftershave called 'MEN'. The male             used in this advert has been shot straight on and he is looking directly at the camera and audience. This is a black and white image which seems to be quite effective in seductive images. He has got quite a tight stomach and pecks which meets the standard look that the advertisers seem to be going for. He has no facial hair or not particularly long hair either. He isn't massively in a sexual position as he is stood up but it has got the similar looks about it as the other ones.

 Another Davidoff advert for an aftershave. These two images one of a female and one of a male. This is interesting to see them together as I can make comparison as how a male can now be seen as a sexual object not just a female. They both have very similar looking shots, both wet in water, showing they don't have hardly any clothes on due to the way the picture has been taken. The male has the 'rugged' look with quite a lot of facial hair. He is wet, which can be quite appealing to some and he has longish wet hair.

 This is another famous advert for Emporio Armani with the main aspect being David Beckham. Beckhams' hair is greeced to some side of his head, and I think this could be a reference point to old fashion times? He is shown clinging to a rope, sort of like this hands have been tied to it, one arm up and one arm down. He is showing all his 'hidden' tattoos so perhaps that would have people talking about this advert. Becks is wearing slightly larger briefs however you only get to see the top part of the parts. Looking sexually through tough, hard man eyes at the camera with the full top half of his body showing.

Another Calvin Klein underwear advert. Its a black and white image, his body looks quite shinny. He is looking down which seems unusual. Perhaps he is supposed to be checking out his own body or maybe he is unhappy with it? Very tight undergarment which are actually positioned rather low which I hadn't noticed before. I wouldn't say this was a massively sexual picture however he is very much naked.

This is an overtly sexual looking image. This is an advert for Marc Jacobs for the aftershave 'BANG'.  There is one guy led down with this legs spread apart holding the bottle of aftershave only just covering his private regions. He doesn't have a hairy chest which coming to think of it none of them do. He has many tattoos which perhaps could make the mind wonder. Facial hair, quite dark. Tanned looking and yet again this sort of shinny, geercy look.

 Im guessing this is for a product or company called Crave, although it is not a leading brand the male in the advert looks overtly sexual. The is lent back with both arms above his head. But mainly he has the zip on his trousers undone!! Again a none hairy chest and it isn't shinny however it has the very typical look that all the rest do.












These three images I looked at as they are the female dominating the male!




In the top one the women who happens to be Jennifer Lopez kneeling on a males back, interestingly she is looking at the camera however he isn't. They both look overtly sexy, as she is in a short tight dress/skirt and he doesn't have a top on and has all the messy hair ect. However I feel it is like he is being dominated.

Can you believe this advert is actually for a vacuum company? This seems very inappropriate. The male as you can see is pretty much wearing nothing and has been tied to the lead of the vacuum. You can see his reflection in the mirror and he has the tight body and six back as in all the others. However with the female you can only see her heels you don't get to see her face.

I am not sure what advert this is for but again its about the women dominating the males as they are leads which is obviously how you would take your dog out on a walk!!

Wednesday 5th January

Consuming Passisons

Consuming- We live in a consumer culture

The SS Great Britain was the start of manipulating materials

1872 Claude Monet, transporting materials to enable him to work outside. A change in the mobility of paints helped work to be produced as its not confined in the area of a studio.

"Difference" changing the art world

Karl Marx 1818-1883

Capitalism

Acquisition of money

Economic system

Revolutionised the 'classes' example the classes where then not just separated into rich and poor

Free-market than a controlled market

Fetishisation

'Exchange value' of a commodity is separate to its 'use value'

This results in 'alienation of the workers' example paying the Chinese not very much, health and safety is also poor

Renoir 1881 painting of leisure showed a time in which the middle/richer class could enjoy themselves

Selferedges where the first shop to have toilets this meant that you could spend a day at the shops instead of only a short period of time as people needed to stay close to home just in case they needed the toilet. 

Charles Frederick Worth 1895 was the first o'couture designer. Buying fashion in an expensive way

"Real" or true needs vs. "false" need as there must need it and you don't really need it. Waste plays a great issue as things on the shelves don't always sell in time for the new products to be shelved... so what happens to the items that didn't sell ??

Standardisation

Democratising society, all people can do what they want and they are not divided by classes.

Pseudo-individualisation- you put your mark onto something, we want to individualise ourselves instead of having fashion from the shelf. Such as our personalised Nike trainer. For example we would have our name on it, choose the colour and laces ect however the Nike tick will still be very much visual.. so is it really making it personal?

The Global Village- are you "Real?"

Familiar Values- We live a postmodern, postindustrial society

Advances in transport- is the world 'Shrinking' due to this technology?

We can travel safely and in a short space of time 

Even though there is now more people in the World than ever before we are part of what Marshall Mcluhan called a "global village"

Artists where collaborating World Wide via Internet ect even though they where miles away

Global Village has benefits- Two cultures meet and produce different cultures and produce creative and innovative and interesting forms of work

"Chinoiserie"- refers to China's tradition. Theoretical

"Japonisme" 1870's. Exotic, impact of oriental things that haven't been seen before

Before mid 1880's Japan was keeping themselves very much to themselves from the rest of the world. Japonisme used depth, sculpture looking work 3D looking and the sense of real elements of form.

Chinese and Japanese work in the way of a scroll

"Rediscovery" of Japanese art and design as trade was merged with the Western World. They used blocks, stylisation. This style of work impacted on impressionism. Oriental, exotic. However very much based on traditional values.

Japanese graphics commanised. The way that people where stylised was hugely influenced by the Westernised animation such as Mulan.

The risk of loosing individuality. New an innovative thinking however there is a bad side of uniformity.

Mac Donald's: Its not surprising, not unique, not individual, you know exactly what your getting where ever you are. No matter where you are in the world if you see a Mac Donald's sign they always taste the same. The fast food industry is: Efficient, predictable, controlled and standardised. 

"Cultural Imperialism"

Dominant: Not just visual but what they represent. How we feel about cultural demonstration ideology= Body of ideas or beliefs

Hegemony

A dominant view point

Hussein Chalayaris

Conceptual fashion designer not about the garment but what the garment is associated with.

Communicate World Wide. Its immediate. Images, messages, videos ect.

We think we 'know' and 'understand' whats happening. When we 'stop' seeing these images does it mean they have stopped? And there's no issue in that place anymore just because its not headline news? The pace of what we see and how quickly they move onto something else is astonishing. The power of imagery.

Hegemony. Confusing what we see to what is real and 'reality'

'Hegemony"=dominant influence we accept national stereotypes and our assumptions. Cliche

We understand cliches

Edward said "Orientalism" and "Culture & Imperialism" Interested about how people are seen as the are 'surposed' to be. Question the assumed objectivity of the researcher.

The concept of the 'Other' is key to our understanding of ourselves and other people. We might not no who we are but we know who we are not.

You are "other" than normal if you don't meet a certain criteria.

Symbolic value is relational and arbitrary pink=feminine and blue=masculine

"False needs" are created by capitalism and perpetuated by the culture industry 

"Simulacra" are hyper real copies of the real thing. We only have "simulations" of reality-false versions of reality.. is it the same though?

Games are simulacras of war. Games are used as marketing and recruiting to join the war, as children like to play shooting games so a perfect way to put a hidden messages as children enjoy the game will they enjoy the army? However this is not a real representation of what the army is actually like as it is only showing the big strong heroic guys nothing is said about the injured or the dead. Only makes it sound good which is actually a very good marketing tool. 

Space man and a cowboy both are representations of the real iconic American man. Also both used in Toy Story as the two main characters. 

"Idealised Person" What defines good looking and acceptable? Who defines this? Good looking people on a 'Ugly' website, they consider themselves to be ugly?

Everyone from even a young age is concerned about their looks...

Sexualisation of girls

The new range of girls dolls called BRATZ. The new Bratz dolls are trying to be very 'down' with the youngsters. The logo and the writing is very graffiti style looking and they are playing with how words are actually spelt and changing the s to a z. The physical appearance of the dolls: They have very large over exaggerated eyes, this even makes them look slightly alien like but overly sexy for a little girls dolls almost like 'come to bed eyes'. They look very sexy dolls. On the website, not only is it games and looking at dolls and there overly sexy names but also once you sign out it says about 'Be beautiful', solely about image and looks! And at all points as your playing the game or looking on the website ect there is always a little symbol about shopping ie buying! Therefor it is also a profitable website, directed at CHILDREN!

Primark produced a bra for a girl aged two that was padded this eventually was removed from all shops after a long time. This is an outrage!

T-shirts printed from children with rude messages wrote on the front, also not acceptable

Sequined thongs produced for young girls 

Pink Playboy pencil cases on sale obviously directed at school goers

'Zoo' Magazine at eye level for everyone to see, is this unacceptable for young girls to see or is it offensive to them?

Young people are affected by what they see around them so are we sending out the correct message?

This affects the way we see, understand and think about the world.

Sexualisation to all women is in:

Magazines, Adverts, on the TV, song lyrics, on the internet, computer games, movies/films and music videos ect

What does this say about the male community?