The Desperation to Sell- Is Objectification the New Norm?

Companies should not have to use desperate acts (like objectification) to sell their products. If the products works, and does what it says, it should sell itself. There is absolutely no need to objectify human beings to sell a cheap product. People all over, especially young kids are looking at ads and believing that if they “buy this product, then they will become something different: thinner, hotter, sexier, smarter (Tarrant, 50).” A hot topic is women being objectified in advertising. But, what about the men? Men get objectified just as much as women. Advertiser David Gianatasio from AdWeek calls the wide and growing use of male objectification, “hunkvertising.” I guess advertisers are lacking in the creative department if they have to settle on this to sell their products. I feel like we have fought (and are still fighting) on women’s issues, and for equality- are we taking a step back, again? Are we adding to the list of the many things that people need to fight to change? YES! Sadly, media is getting worse and worse, and having more of an influence on young minds more than ever. Here is a great site with a few examples of the objectification of men in advertising: http://objectificationofads.weebly.com/objectification-men.html

Citation:

Photo. "Hunkvertising: The Objectification of Men in Advertising." AdWeek. AdWeek, 7 Oct. 2013. Web. 28 Sept. 2015.