Sexy or Sexist?

I downloaded some TV series that one of the M1 recommended for my wife "Emily in Paris" and heard (in the background - I wasn't watching) a discussion about advertising and the phrase "Sexy or Sexist". Then this morning on a basketball website (no really) I saw this:



So what do you think about this and advertising that uses women's bodies to sell goods. Sexy or Sexist or both?

Hello John!

I think this subject is very interesting.

To beginning, of course this kind of advertising or fashion show is sexy, that's the goal and it works. But I think this is very damage to lower women's bodies to a sales technique. With this kind of technique, the women cannot be really seen for the women that they are. This gives the impression that women's bodies are controllable.
It is known that women are often more naked than men in advertisements. The only time when men and women are equally naked is when it's a cosmetics or perfume ad (and often, the man is the one who dominates). And we can put all women naked for all kind of products and I don't really why! Where they found this necessary ?

Futhermore, the sexy side can be use but it's necessary not to go beyond the limits of vulgarity or exploitation of bodies when it is not useful and has nothing to do with the product. To sell a car, women don't need to be half-naked, especially when men are in suits and ties...

Hi John !

Sexy or sexist in advertisements, it's a subject that has been going on for several years now. A debate that never ends.
I think that the image of the woman, the image of the half-naked woman, is not used properly. It is often, if not always, used in advertisements for men. As if the image of the half-naked woman is the only thing that pleases or attracts men. I find it unfortunate that women are always used as objects that men desire.
I think it's been long enough that women have been fighting to get rid of the image of women as objects that are sexualised all the time. It's time for mentalities to change and for women to be seen at their true value.
In the case of certain advertisements, the image of the naked or not naked woman can be used as for fashion shows, brands of women's underwear or swimming costumes yes, a sexy image can be used for advertisements but it stops there.

So to answer the question, I think that the image of women is always sexualized, especially in advertisements aimed at men.

Hello John !

I agree with Elsa and Tess comments. Advertissements are sexy and sexist. Advertisements often show half-naked women with "perfect" bodies. In my opinion this is unhealthy.
The woman is represented as an object, or a housewife. In the majority of advertisements, we see a woman where men find her attractive or to take care of the children. So yes it's more pleasant to look at a woman with perfect skin, perfect shapes, but it wouldn't hurt anyone to also show reality in all kinds of advertising and not only for women's creams like Nivea for example.
But there is also the way women look at advertisements, how can women accept their bodies with their defects when we see perfect women ? I am thinking particularly of teenagers, how can we tell them "accept you, love your body" when we see perfect silhouettes all around us (billboards, TV, social networks, etc).
How can we be equal in a society that continues to see men as dominant and women only as bodies ?

Moreover, I would like to say that admittedly we see dominant men in advertisements but they too have a "perfect" physique, a beautiful beard, drawn muscles, in suits and ties. And we know that is not reality. These person don't represent the society.

Therefore, if we show reality, will the products always be successful ?

I'm totally agree with Esla and Marion, I find that the image of a woman is considered for many men as a salesman, I don't mind seeing naked/ almost naked women. The problem is that very often they all have the same silhouette and this reflects a false standard which can and does complicate many other women in passing.
So sexy or sexist? It depends on each case... On how the woman is staged. A woman can be sexy but it is true that the borderline is subtle, a gesture, a word, a behaviour and a scene can quickly become sexist!
I hope there will be a change soon.

Could sexy be always seen as sexist?

Hello John,

I hope you had great holidays !

I agree we the girls that advertising are sexist but also sexy, depending on the "eyes" of people and the limits of each person.

First, the use of women bodies has always been a debate and it still is. I think we already made a move, now in some show and some brand cast women with differents bodies, not only "perfect" bodies, but obviously it's not enough and only some brand do it.

Beside sometimes I don't understand why we use women bodies to sell a product ? Is it vital to show a woman (poorly dressed) holding a Champaign bottle ? Or remember Orangina's adverts...



This one is using women attributes...
I found this website which shows unethical advertisement : https://activmag.fr/filles-de-pub/

Nowdays, brand use those to shock and upset the audience and it always work... I find really sad that today people are using women as an object just for the buzz.

On another hand, we can't see the "bad" everywhere, but as Marion said would some products be as successful as they are ? Everyone is looking for a product in which we identify ourselves but brands should not abuse on it, they should be aware of the limits and the consequences for women to accept their bodies. Where is the truth ? Can't women be sexy with trousers ?

To finish, their is a business in my town that I find funny : "L'homme à poêle"

(Yes same last name but the owner is not part of my family    )

What do you think about it ?

leaguilloteau01 wrote:Hello John,

I hope you had great holidays !

I agree we the girls that advertising are sexist but also sexy, depending on the "eyes" of people and the limits of each person.

First, the use of women bodies has always been a debate and it still is. I think we already made a move, now in some show and some brand cast women with differents bodies, not only "perfect" bodies, but obviously it's not enough and only some brand do it.

Beside sometimes I don't understand why we use women bodies to sell a product ? Is it vital to show a woman (poorly dressed) holding a Champaign bottle ? Or remember Orangina's adverts...



This one is using women attributes...
I found this website which shows unethical advertisement : https://activmag.fr/filles-de-pub/

Nowdays, brand use those to shock and upset the audience and it always work... I find really sad that today people are using women as an object just for the buzz.

On another hand, we can't see the "bad" everywhere, but as Marion said would some products be as successful as they are ? Everyone is looking for a product in which we identify ourselves but brands should not abuse on it, they should be aware of the limits and the consequences for women to accept their bodies. Where is the truth ? Can't women be sexy with trousers ?

To finish, their is a business in my town that I find funny : "L'homme à poêle"

(Yes same last name but the owner is not part of my family    )

What do you think about it ?

Hi lea, I'll check out that site later when I have some time. I don't understand the Orangina ad at all. Obviously I understand the sexy breasts but other than that I'm completely baffled, maybe someone can explain it to me. As for the ad with the man I see it is using humour rather than sex so I find it okay - he's not sexy is he?

The purpose of the Orangina ad was to show the natural pulp (in French "naturellement pulpeuse"), they used the sexy breasts to show that, yes women are luscious but why putting an old man staring at her chest... ?

I agree with you about the ad with the men, it is funny because we directly see that they use humour and no he is not sexy

leaguilloteau01 wrote:The purpose of the Orangina ad was to show the natural pulp (in French "naturellement pulpeuse"), they used the sexy breasts to show that, yes women are luscious but why putting an old man staring at her chest... ?

I agree with you about the ad with the men, it is funny because we directly see that they use humour and no he is not sexy

Okay. The word play wouldn't work in English. A pulpy breast would not be sexy - it would be gory. So the deer is supposed to be "natural" or at least represent nature?

Okay, so how could we say it ?
Yes I think so, they made a whole campaign with animals then it might be for the "natural" side.

leaguilloteau01 wrote:Okay, so how could we say it ?
Yes I think so, they made a whole campaign with animals then it might be for the "natural" side.

Sorry Léa, I answered quickly because I only had a few minutes between classes. For orange and orangina we use the word pulp but we cannot use that when talking about a breast we use words like voluptuous or full (or many others )

If a person had a pulpy breast then it would be mashed an bloody - which is probably not sexy.

I've just checked for the ads in England. I can't see the one with the old guy but the wording they use is "naturally juicy" Again if that was used for a breast it would be seen in a bad light. I think it must be more a French series of ads aimed at the French market.

Hello John !

I agree with all the comments of my classmates. This subject is very interesting and so I have done some research on the history of women and advertising since advertising existed.

According to an Ipsos study, 4 out of 10 French people were "often" shocked by advertisements which showed or used the "object woman".
The use of vulgarity offended one third of the respondents.

Women were more likely to say they had been shocked by an advertisement using the "object woman" (46% against 31% for men) or vulgarity (38% against 30%).

Similarly, older people also show a much greater sensitivity, whether it be for the woman as the subject (41% against 34% for those under 35) or vulgarity (40% against 23% for those under 35).

We can identify 5 models of the woman seen by advertisers between 1960 and 2010:

The housewife
The activist
The superwoman
The submissive woman
The sexy and provocative woman

What is the future of women in advertising?
In spite of all the actions taken by the feminist movements, it seems that sexism in advertising still has a bright future ahead of it. Brand communications managers may apologise on the pretext that they are only trying to be humorous and not to offend sensitivities, but their real intentions are doubtful.
Unless they are very naive, these experts who master all the communication tricks know full well that they will create a buzz thanks to the feminists, who do not fail to react to every provocation.
Advertising is only a reflection of society. The Internet has revolutionised the means of communication and the way we consume information. Information can travel around the world in a few minutes.

Hello John!
I agree with the girls too.
Women bodies are always used to sell something. In your video, I think it’s for selling underwear, so it’s understandable, but what is the purpose in an advertisement for Orangina?
A few days ago, May-Line (group 1) show us an advertisement for a ventilator/air-conditioner. On the poster, we could see women’s legs without clothes, and on the side, she had her bra in her hand with the sentence (I don’t remember very well) in French “if you are hot, we can cool you down” or “It’s cold, we warms you up”. It is not necessary to put a woman.

coline wrote:Hello John!
I agree with the girls too.
Women bodies are always used to sell something. In your video, I think it’s for selling underwear, so it’s understandable, but what is the purpose in an advertisement for Orangina?
A few days ago, May-Line (group 1) show us an advertisement for a ventilator/air-conditioner. On the poster, we could see women’s legs without clothes, and on the side, she had her bra in her hand with the sentence (I don’t remember very well) in French “if you are hot, we can cool you down” or “It’s cold, we warms you up”. It is not necessary to put a woman.

I think it's disgusting but I can't understand why it is allowed in a forward thinking country like France.

Hello John,

This subject is very interesting indeed.

I am quite open-minded and I try to tell myself that these women are aware of what they are doing and therefore have the right to do it.
However, I admit that I am not comfortable with this and it goes beyond the debate: sexy or sexiest.
I'm not here to moralize, far from it, but I find it sad that we are always reduced to being objects of lust.
It can be glorifying when it's the person we love who finds us sexy and we do everything we can to be sexy for that person.
It's a positive feeling but I think it's something the whole world is not supposed to know about, I don't know if I express myself well?
I think that exposing so much of a certain type of woman's body in advertisements does not create more complexes than anything else? I'm the first one in this case! They are beautiful women but the lack of diversity and redundancy of this body type makes most women feel like "unsexy" people while every woman is sexy!

I don't have an answer to your question if sexy = sexiest but I would prefer to see all type of woman in the ads to avoid that the younger ones feel obliged to change to look like a body type that is not really possible to achieve.

Hi John,

When I watched this video, all I saw is another example of the objectification of female bodies for advertising; no matter how much progress it feels like we’ve made, men — and companies — continue to portray women as sexual objects, implying that male dominance over females is the most powerful advertising tool. We don’t really see these unnecessary half-naked advertisements with men; those types of ads are exclusively reserved for women.

This also applies to female superhero movies, which are supposed to promote the ideas of empowered and strong women, however these superheroes are frequently marketed more as alluring, charming and sexual fantasies. Perhaps because if Wonder Woman was covered head to toe in an iron suit, ticket sales would drastically decrease.

A side note : I really like this subject!

Hello John!

It's true that for many years women have been seen or considered as "objects" and this is not acceptable... Although this phenomenon is not as present as it used to be, it is still there. It's true that advertisements often feature naked women, for example for shower gels, perfume or clothes... I'm not shocked by this, but the problem is the fact that it's so-called "perfect" women who are highlighted in these ads. However, it is not only these women with "perfect" bodies. As Marion said, teenagers are often told to love their bodies, but it can be complicated when we see "perfect" bodies on TV. For lingerie or swimming costume fashion shows , it is obvious that women should only wear these and the same goes for men's shows. But it's not just "perfect" bodies, everyone is different.
So yes, I find that there is always a sexy but also sexist part in the advertisements of certain products.

It's a very interesting subject because I think that now a lot of things that the O see on TV and in particular advertising are hyper sexualized.
I think that the subject does not stop only with the body of the woman but can be widened.
I think that by dint of always making everything "sexy" we lose a bit of the rest.
And beyond the image conveyed to children seems doubtful to me, what values ​​does it convey ?
I think it is a matter of dosage and suggestion, this should be suggested not exaggerated

This is a very interesting subject and also quite delicate one. Personally, I am in favor of advertising highlighting the body of women when we include all kinds of beauty and not just that of the standars which is almost non-existent, without cellulite, without stretch marks, without scars etc… I think that women are not used but know how to use what they have.
When we see Maryline Monroe, Brigitte Bardot, Madonna who may have been idols and very coveted by brands because of their physics, we realize that today these female bodies, thin, plump, with flaws are less shown.
There is a fine line between sexy and sexist, and what may be considered sexy for one person will be considered sexist for another. However, I find that what is really perverse about this type of advertising, showing women, is that they touch teenage girls and put in their minds that there is only one beauty possible and that if they do not fit into these boxes so they must comply.
It’s a subject I can tell so much thing on it because there is such nuances to add, so many debate on the question. I’m asking why when we show girls in lingerie or things like that, people complains (me too) about the fact that we show a standard beauty, but the advertisement does the same with men, and it’s like men really don’t care about it, so i’m asking myself about the fact that maybe the importance of the physical in the minds of girls has been too much inferred.

I think this topic is interesting and it’s an actual topic. We see debate around this question. I think that the world of fashion and advertising are the first to be concerned. The question of woman position is present because parts of the body are very much in evidence.
I don’t know are men's fashion shows but concerning publicity we show lot of men too and we show his body like advertising for shampoo or razors. So I am not sure that women publicity are more sexy or sexist than men publicity.
Concerning women, I find practises change, some brands propose new vision like Nivea or Dove. This brand show lot of women, large or small and which different colour or size. This publicity shows women like the reality not only traditional model.
I think this type of communication can have a good result for this brand because it’s mass-market brand, but I am not that this have a good result for luxe brands. I think the image of luxury brands goes through beautiful and sexy models or actresses, it’s reference for luxe.

Hi John,

I'm so late I di'nt seen this topic ! Anyway, the topic is so sensitive and there is a philosophical way.

In fact, the show is embarrassing to my point of view, it looks like a show of animal with great characteristics. Philosophical because "how 're considering woman is this type of show?" what is the spirit of the woman at this moment ? Only the psysichall is highlighted. When they're walking, they looks likes robots, it's creepy. Nothing is sexy in this show, for me, even if they have the "perfect body". I agree with the others girls ; Gnweola, Elsa, Marion..etc about the "perfect body" and the difference..what I said : the GAP between this girls and the real body of woman. Woman have imperfections (like man) but it means there is a story, a background and that's beautiful ! (fucking romantic).

For me, it's more harder than "sexist", it's a ridiculous show, dehumanising.


Tito

I don't think this show is sexist. Yes, it does fit the "perfect body" beauty criteria. But if you look at a men's swimming costume show, men also meet those standards. I don't think the problem is sexism, it's the world of modelling in general. Men also have size criteria if they want to do these shows.

Moreover, these women have more or less shapes, there is already an evolution with the models of the 2000s who were really skinny. Now, these women have a beautiful body but with (I find and this is my own opinion) quite realistic measurements, they have shapes.

I think the modelling world is very strict for men and women. They work hard to get the body they have today and do what they want to do (be a model), so personally I would vote more sexy than sexist.