What do music videos, burger adverts, magazines and girl groups all have in common? They all, be it subconsciously or unashamedly, use sex to sell. But what message does this saturation of sex give to those of us growing up around it? Roma Virk investigates….

The media permeates every aspect of our lives. It’s inescapable and omnipresent. Studies show western children spend on average 45 hours a week watching T.V and as a nation we are said to spend two thirds of our time consuming some form of media. Whether it be news, entertainment or advertising, the media forever dictates our decisions, ethics and judgements. In the advertising and entertainment industries a huge amount of time and money is spent researching exactly what specific products should contain, to help them do their job. Every detail is carefully thought out from people’s accents to hair colour. If produces can tap into our instincts and desires, sellers know they’re onto a winner. And nothing sells like sex. Some of us are ok with being lured and convinced by it. Some would like to see a lot less. Some may feel they don’t care either way. This is perhaps where the biggest problem lies. With awareness we can at least be mindful of the images and ideals our younger generations buy into, before our minds are lulled to sleep.

One of the major perpetrators of using sex to sell is the advertising giants. They have become increasingly ruthless in their objectification of women as a cheap way of selling all manner of products and services. Take the advert for Rustlers Microwave burgers, for example. It features a man bringing a first date back for ‘coffee’. The man offers the woman a refreshment, which she coldly declines whilst perching uncomfortably on the edge of the sofa. He heads for the kitchen and types 70 seconds into a microwave, (the window of which is actually the hatch to his living room). The woman rotates on the sofa, transformed to a lingerie-clad reclined and ‘ready-for-sex-kitten’, by the time the microwave pings. The slogan “If only everything was as quick as Rustlers”, further demonstrates the kind of crude and blatant objectification we see in so many adverts, where women are reduced to quick and cheap satisfaction, available to instantly please. Wishful snippets of laddie fun they may be to some, but by putting men in firm control of the situation again and again we are given no alternative to how men and women can interact, beyond falling into depressing stereotypical roles. From frigid female to instant sex-kitten…from male trying to get his way to male succeeding without effort. In the case of Rustler’s the woman is completely unnecessary in the selling of a burger. She represents a degrading comparison to cheap meat.

Another massive money making machine is the commercial music business which relies heavily on visually sexual publicity. When it comes to manufactured pop groups, image and sex appeal are everything. Big record executives demand the complete ‘package’ and looks are often held in higher regard than talent. How long did Pop Idol’s Michelle McManus last? The Spice Girls were a clever example of seemingly offering a choice of who girls can inspire to, while in truth representing a limited view of women. Posh, Sporty, Ginger, Baby and Scary were also hugely successful at promoting their imaginary ‘Girl Power’ - an empty sentiment voiced whilst presenting their bodies as their only real power. This kind of paradoxical message only further warps views and images of women and ultimately does nothing for offering young girls real heroines with real substance.

Music videos say it all with their pointless, repetitive shots of gyrating body parts. One of the biggest repeat offenders is the (so-over-the-top-it’s-almost-tongue-in-cheek) use of women to massage male egos in Hip Hop videos. In commercial Hip Hop, macho money-obsessed masculinity is key to proving the worth of a ‘real man’ and women serve as tools to promote this ideal by hanging, semi-naked onto the biggest muscles and wallets. 50 Cent’s infamous video for ‘Candy Shop’ features the business-savvy rapper surrounded by dozens of two-a-penny girls, offering themselves to him seductively, while he sits disinterested with an expression halfway between a leer and gloat. After all, he can have any of them whenever he wants. We also see women pour melted chocolate over their bodies. It’s packaged a little differently, but Candy Shop offers the same message as the Rustler’s ad. In this case, rather than meat, women are reduced to an assortment of sweets.

These examples float in a vast, depressing sea of many. They tell girls that to be successful in life, it’s simply a case of playing to our sex appeal and that sex is a women’s only credible form of power. They promote a false image of what the female body should look like, resulting in young girls aspiring to look like airbrushed magazine covers on the surface, whilst underneath affecting our confidence and well being. Modern society is rife with quests for surgical perfection, eating disorders and depression. And young men aren’t safe either. These cheap gimmicks suggest it’s ok to ogle women and use them for their own satisfaction. They encourage the belief that man are more capable and powerful that their female counterparts who shouldn’t be taken seriously. And worse still they categorises men as so one track-minded that the slightest sign of any suggestive behaviour from a women, means they should give in to the weakness of their primitive, perpetual lust.

Despite all of this, I still have faith that our generation can stay awake in this celluloid sex-driven culture. There are some good role models for young girls who encourage females to look past their own bodies to their talents, allowing others to do the same. And it isn’t to say that anyone wanting to look good or make an effort is wrong. What is wrong is the constant barrage of subtle and blatant acceptable sexism towards women (and in some cases men), that’s undoing years of positive change that many have fought hard for. As a girl growing into a young woman I think it’s essential my generation stand up for ourselves and push past the airbrushed, airhead doll figures to make way for a lot more talent and headroom to think.

By Roma Virk