Nicholas Espy
Prof. Abad
ENGL 101
18 October 2011
Insecurities and Sex Appeal Sells
Marketing products in in today’s society has become a science in which advertisers know ways to consistency and sub-consciously attract consumers to their products by utilizing current established market research. Advertisers know what buttons to push within our society to make people buy their products. Furthermore, marketing and promoters can target specific age groups, genders, or races. Two widely used marketing strategies to hook or attract potential customers to their products are directed at playing on people insecurities and the open use of sexual charged ads and focusing on potential customers insecurities.
The beauty culture within our society developed and arose as woman began to use beauty products to enhance their femininity and fit within the socially accepted norms of what attractive women should look like. Ads for beauty products help women navigate through the countless products within the market. Beauty product advertisements often features women within the ad that are flawless in every way and do not represent reality. Combining these images are with many women’s insecurities and negative impression of the way they feel about their looks the ads are clearly doing what their intended to do get ordinary women to go out and buy their companies’ products.
Women in these ads tend to be models or celebrities who are paid to look good. They have the time and money to spend working out in the gum. The models in the ad have their had professionally done and often have genetic features, are society finds attractive, like high cheek bones. Furthermore, with the advertisement of Photoshop, current photographers can airbrush away any flaws a model may have making them appear without blemishes.
Steve Harvey stated, “you could lose weight and get a shorter dress, higher heels, and a new hairstyle and steel insecure and unworthy” (Harvey pg. 1). Women can take care of themselves by eating right, exercising, and mentally maintaining their stress levels, however women will age. Some women will choose more invasive procedures of plastic surgery while others will opt to try to utilize anti-wrinkle creams and lotions. Thus becoming hook on the products.
Unfortunately when women use these products the promises made by the manufacturers often fall short. The result is women now spend large amounts of hard earned money on cosmetics that are virtually useless. As women search for the fountain of youth more advertisers are willing to direct women in a path that leads nowhere and allows cosmetic and slimming product companies to become richer.
A prime example of a cosmetic or lotion company exploding women is the ad for NIVEA Body skin firming lotion. In the ad, the advertisement claims that the lotion isn’t like anything you have ever used. Furthermore, it claims it boosts your skins firmness and tone on a daily basis. It also tells the potential user that if a person exercises and eats right it is practically unstoppable the results a person will receive.
All cosmetics need to meet FDA standards to be safe. Consumers have to be their own watchdogs and determine if the cosmetics product actually works. The cosmetic’s industry is a multi-billion dollar industry, which is able to do studies in which they can show the effectiveness of their products, however many of these studies are not done independently. By not having an outside independent research trial it is clear the effectiveness of the products can be questioned. It is truly deceitful that companies can promote and profit hugely on products, which have questionable results and prey on people physical appearance insecurities.
For years advertisers have promoted products and target audience with “sexy ads” to get potential customers attention, showing skin to get product attention. The New York Times published an article stated that women are not the only ones who feel insecure about their