Sex In Advertising

This reading, “Two Ways A Woman Can Get Hurt”: Advertising and Violence, is about how sex is used in advertisements in order to win over buyers. However, in doing so, sex in advertising has become about disconnection and distance. In these ads, men are encouraged to be violent while women are simply used. This article talks about how women are objectified and harassed just for the sake of advertising products. The author uses examples of ads to drive her point home. Most of the ads relate to men abusing women or trying to sexually harass them. The author includes an ad that says “If your date won’t listen to reason, try a velvet hammer”, advertising an alcoholic drink and suggesting date rape. There are also ads discussed that bring up the idea that when women say no, they don’t really mean it. Multiple illustrations show a man ignoring a woman who is saying no. The author talks about how these ads are teaching young men that no doesn’t mean no. It’s teaching them that a

Watch out for men looking at me or following me. Because, even with how unfair it seems, “Today, every girl is endangered”(474). Men don’t know what it’s like it be afraid of being attacked. A man will not be afraid to be in an elevator alone with a woman the way women are afraid. How did it come to this point of fear ? Why are women so afraid of men and why do men think it’s okay to be violent towards women ? Reading this article was very eye-opening, especially the part about the conducted study. In a study, they had children write essays about what it would be like to be the other gender. A lot of the boys wrote they’d rather be dead. But the girls wrote about power and freedom. This really shocked me. That these young children, without knowing it, had just explained the gender roles present in our society. This shows that even at a young age, little girls know that they’re inferior and lesser than their male