Jean Kilbourne Two Ways Women Can Get Hurt Analysis
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The entertainment industry has been abusing their control over a majority of society, and it is time to find other forms of amusement. The appeal of images and messages of violence and sexual exploitation in entertainment media is alarming. The media is abusing its power by exposing society to unsuitable forms of entertainment and advertising. Modern day standards for respect are never going to improve if commercialism and entertainment are still attempting to appeal to past demographics. The public needs to be more aware of what it is being exposed to and the media needs to find other forms of advertising.
The public has grown so prone to seeing violence and sexual exploitation in the media that they no longer even realize they are indulging…show more content… The goal of advertisements is to sell the product as quickly and easily as possible. But who exactly is buying from inappropriate commercials? In award-winning documentary producer Jean Kilbourne’s essay “Two Ways a Women Can Get Hurt”: Advertising and Violence she states that sex in advertising “fetishizes products, imbues them with an erotic charge—which dooms us to disappointment since products can never fulfill our sexual desires or meet out emotional needs.” This means that being exposed to pornographic forms of advertising makes viewers subconsciously associate the merchandise with sex, but unfortunately that product will not accomplish what the advertisement appears it will. Kilbourne uses an example of Victoria’s Secret advertisements, alluring women into believing that buying their lingerie will make them seems more sought after. Carl’s Jr fast food restaurant has become notorious with using the phrase “sex sells” in there marketing campaigns. Commercials featuring models, such as Kate Upton and Paris Hilton, scandalously flailing around in tight, low cut clothing and eating fast food. According to a press release on the Carl’s Jr website dated April 2011, Carl’s Jr states “We believe in putting hot models in our commercials, because ugly ones don’t sell burgers.” But just because a woman wears Victoria’s Secret underwear or a customer eats a Carl’s Jr six-dollar burger does not necessarily mean that they will feel any more satisfied sexually or emotionally. Even with the excuse that sex sells, products that do not need much advertising are being advertised unsuitably. Lauren Tuck, a news editor for the website Yahoo! Style recently wrote the article Pin-Up Girls Are Selling Milk Now in Sexist New Ad Campaign; about how Coca-Cola’s new milk brand Fairlife is using sexism to sell their products. The article shows pictures of the ads, which picture women are wearing