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Carl's Jr. Advertisements

Sexism in Advertisements

Sexuality is becoming more and more common with regards to selling products, and the boundaries of what is appropriate are quickly blurring. As Jean Kilbourne discusses in her article, “What Else Does Sex Sell?” what categorizes an advertisement as being “sexy vs. sexist” is becoming less decipherable. It is often debatable what aspect of these advertisements the company is actually trying to sell. According to Steve Lysonski in his article, "Sexism vs. Sexy: The Conundrum," the line between what is considered to be "sexy" and what is "sexist" has become blurred by media advertising, such as Carl's Jr. commercials. Lysonski states the definitions for "sexism" as being "attitudes and social practices that foster rigid roles based on gender and which tend to work to the detriment of women;" and "sexy" as "marked by or tending to arouse sexual desire or interest" . A sexist ad would more or less portray a woman as an object, such as when one of the celebrity women in the Carl's Jr. ads is holding a hamburger (object) and men are staring with expressions of wonder, it is misconstrued as to what the men are staring at; therefore, degrading the woman to being equal to a hamburger sold at a fast food restaurant.

                Sexism can be found in advertisements dating back to 1871 on a Pearl Tobacco product where a woman was wearing no clothing. Women used to be the face of cleaning and kitchen products and were supposed to assume the housewife role. Both society and the media have built an image of the ideal woman from what she should look like, to what she should wear, to how she should act, etc. Throughout history, our pop culture has arguably become more inappropriate and objectifying towards women. Our culture is largely intrigued by sex which is why so many movies, ads in magazines, commercials on tv, and even products try to incorporate sex because it is shown to sell. Things that we see in commercials in 2015 used to be seen as pornography decades ago. According to a study conducted by Lavine, Sweeney, and Wagner, both men and women who are exposed to sexist advertising look at themselves differently afterward and critique their own bodies more harshly. The article also states that results from the study, "attest to the potential power of the media in shaping people's self-concepts. Another study by Yoder, Christopher, and Holmes, dealing with media and body image of women claims, "it would be misleading to conclude that television commercials have no impact on women's aspirations".

                Carl’s Jr. has been the forefront of controversy. Some of the commercials shot for the fast food chain were not aired because they were considered "too hot" for television. For example, the commercial advertising the "all natural" burger featuring Charloette McKinney involves her walking around a farmers market. She is unclothed and talks about going "all natural", but initially, the viewer cannot tell what she is referring to. The viewer simply sees her in the nude and all the men she passes dropping their jaws, looking at her like a rare form. Previously mentioned Jean Kilbourne has a documentary called Killing Us Softly discusses topics involving the objectification of women and the blurring of pornography in advertisement, both of which viewers may agree are referenced in commercials such as this. Their approach to advertising is to use sex to hook the viewer's interest and then introduce the product in hopes that it will be more desirable. The women shown in their advertisements are famous and known for being attractive. Carl's Jr. has continued to use this kind of advertising because of the attention their restaurant gets from the promiscuity.

                Advertisements like ones seen regarding Carl’s Jr. fast food chain can send mixed messages. The ads are targeted at male audiences, but the food is sold to both men and women. This may not be the most efficient way to increase sales, if that is what the chain is aiming to do. The approach to get more profit and draw people in is very strange considering Carl's Jr. is a fast food restaurant, which has nothing to do with women. In her Article, "What Else Does Sex Sell?" Jean Kilbourne discusses a lack of reality in advertisements because the media is only portraying bodies, namely women's bodies, as being without flaw, which gives a false image to audiences watching The Carl's Jr. marketing team knows that in our culture, sex sells. They choose to be as raunchy as possible to get attention, but it might not be the smartest because it truly has nothing to do with the quality or taste of their food. The fact that even fast food ads are this promiscuous and normal to people has a great effect on girls. As Ina Mills discusses in his article, "Sexism and the Media," women's bodies are being exploited to draw in consumers to purchase products that are not even relevant to the half naked, sexual portrayals of women being seen. These types of ads divert the audiences attention from the product to the body of the woman. These ads put a lot more pressure on women in society and could give men a false image of how a woman should look and act. This can lead to a lack in respect and even violence towards women.

The level of what is appropriate and what is not has been culturally redefined within the last few decades. Sexuality is something that is becoming prominent in advertisement and is something that viewers have grown to be desensitized to. Carl's Jr. is one of many brands that utilize sex to their advantage in order to attract customers. Both men and women are objectified in order to make products appear more desirable, and not everyone would agree that this approach to advertisement is the most effective.