“Sex in advertising is the use of sexual interest as a tool of persuasion to draw interest to a particular product, for purpose of sale.” (Wikipedia). This means advertising agencies play off the emotions and desires of the consumer to sell a product. The use of sex in the advertisement can be seen easily. An example of this is the Herbal Essence commercials, when the woman makes very sexual noises just washing her hair. The use of sex can also be seen in a more subtle way. An example of this is a beautiful woman selling a car. “Post-advertising sales response studies have shown it can be effective for attracting immediate interest’ holding immediate interest; and, in the context of that interest, introducing a product that somehow correlates with that interest” (Wikipedia). By playing off our emotions, the use of sex makes products sell big.

Sex in advertising can be found everywhere we turn. Such places are commercials, magazines, and billboards. Advertisers try to put these sexual ads everywhere the public looks, so the consumers know the product is out there. The sex in commercials is usually more subtle, for the fact that televisions are in 97% of American’s homes. Advertisers must be careful what they show in a family’s living room. Magazines are the most risqué, because magazine editors must except most ads to keep their magazine running. Advertising agencies know they can get away with more in magazines, so they try to put in as much sex appeal to catch the consumer’s attention as possible. Billboards are usually in between, depending on the town the billboard is placed. Some towns are more conservative, where as others allow even ads for gentleman’s club on billboards. By placing sexual ads in magazines consumers read daily, commercials during the most-watched TV show, or billboards on the busiest roads in the city consumers cannot escape from the ads. (Reichart 133-135)

Sex sells in advertising genres like commercials, magazines, and billboards by just using our human emotions. Selling sex is the most predominant and useful way to sell a product in today's society. Whether consumers realize it or not, most of the time we are simply buying sex. It is clear that changes in social acceptance about explicit expressions of sexuality with both genders have occurred during the past decade. Advertisers will continue to make advertisements more explicit to catch its audience's attention if changes aren't made. If we disregard or don't pay attention to the increasingly sexual ads in advertising, it will become predominately worse. To stop more sexual images from appearing in advertisements, society as a whole must take a stand and voice its opinions. The research has shown that times have changed greatly in the past sixty years, and it is scary to imagine if the public lets this go, what the next sixty years could turn into.

st beautiful of men and to play off the consumer’s sexual desires. “Sex is the second strongest of the psychological appeals, right behind self-preservation” (Taflinger 2). A man wants a healthy, young, and receptive woman; therefore, advertisers use the youngest, most attractive, women in ads. Women have far greater physical and psychological needs than men. In advertising, it is easy to get a man’s attention by using women’s bodies an associate getting the woman if he buys the product, but for women it is more than that. Healthy and fit men attract their attention, but he must also appear as a father figure and someone who may make a good husband. Men and women need and want different things, and advertisers have to touch on both their needs to be successful. (Taflinger 4-5)

These ads affect women, children, and teens everyday. When a woman sees herself used as a sex object everyday, it becomes degrading and discou

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