Sexual Messages in Advertising & Other
Media
(see recommended texts/videos below)
KEY QUOTE: "Sexual content in mass
media has been around as long as mass media itself,’’ Arizona State professor Mary-Lou Galician, a researcher, author
and media
literacy advocate says. "The difference is the proliferation of it. We live
in a 24/7 media world now. Take, as an example, the exploitation of Britney Spears, who
is
literally pulling off her clothes during her performances. Her real talent lies
in being an objectified image. And it is an image, by extension, of our country around
the world.’’
Source:
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=51589
INTRODUCTION
Now here is a topic that many educators may not feel comfortable addressing in
the classroom. But the expression "sex sells," is certainly one that many advertisers
believe in. Many state's health teaching standards
include: "Analyze the influence of personal beliefs, culture, media,technology and other factors on health." Many will agree that messages
about sex found in the media certainly communicate and educate to audiences. But what are students
understanding?
Is the message always correct? And is anything important left out of the
message?
Educators and students should review media literacy
"core
concepts" as well as these critical thinking questions before proceeding.
 Downloadable news stories and other
resources |
Research Articles |
Sexual Content Proliferates
Teens
learning about sex through magazines, not parents: study
Why
Sex Sells
Study:
Sexualized portrayals of females are norm in pop culture
What
Media Teaches Kids About Sexual Health(May
2011)
PTC
criticizes heavy sexual content on TV
Media:
one of the leading sex educators in the U.S.
TV
Shows Spur Earlier Sex For Kids
Lolita
at 5
Too Sexy, Too Soon (Family Circle)
Editorial: Sex, sex and more sex. Got your attention?
PTC bashes TV's use of sex
(Aug 2008)
What's Missing
About Teen Pregnancy in TV, Films? (Newsweek)
Little Girls Gone Wild -Marketing to little kids
(Salon)
Patron Slapped by Industry Group for Sexy Ad
Imagery
Sex
Doesn't Always Sell
Goodbye to Girlhood (Wash Post series)
Sexy media images linked to problems in girls
Girls gone wild: what are celebs teaching kids?
Tuned in
Sexy, sassy,
still in primary school
When ads say bad things to little girls
Listen:
Jean Kilbourne how Big Media sexualizes children
So Sexy So Soon
Listen:
NPR : Media, Sex and Talking to Tweens
Teens Call Hyper-Sexualized
Media Images "Normal"
Call to ban jeans ads
(Australia)
Celebrities make pregnancy
glamorous
Fashion industry using sex to
sell ad nauseam
Article/study
The
Media Sex Relationship
What's a mom to do?
Articles: Sex on TV Study (news
stories; link to research below)
Are
teens overexposed?
PR/study:
Sex in ads
improves men's purchase intent
Article/study:
Sex on TV
'wildly unrealistic'
Article/study: Overexposed:
teens,
sex & mass media
Environmentalists sexy ad
outrages women In Mexico
New Dolce
& Gabbana racy ads controversy
Selling Sex to Kids
Sexy Jeans Ad Rejected
by Magazine & Times Square
Critics: 'That's Too Hot'
of Sexy Carl's Jr. Ad
Is
childhood becoming oversexed?
Just the Facts of Life: porn
in the digital age
Lesson plan:
Social
Influences (grade 7)
Lesson plan:
Sex in Advertising
(grade 11-12)
Parents' Dilemma: Keeping
Kids from Sex on TV
Magazines Upping The
Cleavage Quotient To Boost Sales
The
disappearing tween years
Sex
In Advertising
Sex
in Advertising
(A History)
Website essays:
Take
if off: Sex in Advertising
|
Sexy songs have detrimental effect on kids
UB
study finds
media
sexualization of women outranks men
Hollywood over-sexualizing teen girls: report
Influence of New Media on Adolescent Sexual
Health: Evidence and Opportunities
Study Reveals New Data on Screen Sexiness (April
2011)
Sexualised Teen Girls: Tinseltown's New Target
(PTC Study, Dec. 2010)
Study: exposure to sexual content
not to blame for teen sex rates
Study shows sex sells, sometimes
Sex images in media harming kids' mental health
New Research Shows Sex in Movies Doesn't Lead to
Box-Office Success
Children Who View Adult-targeted TV May Become
Sexually Active ...
TV, Low
Self-Esteem, and Family Problems Lead to Early “Sexual Debut”/
study abstract
Sex on TV Increases Teen
Pregnancy, Says Report/Study
links teen pregnancy to sexy TV shows /
TV
habits, risk of pregnancy linked
Effects of a Peer-Led Media Literacy Curriculum on Adolescents' Knowledge and
Attitudes Toward Sexual Behavior
and Media Portrayals of Sex
Study: Profit Motive
Behind Sexualization of Tween Girls
Sexualization of Girls Is Linked to Common Mental
Health Problems in Girls and Women-Eating Disorders
Sex in ads (apparently)
doesn't sell (to women)
"Sexy
Media Matter: Exposure to Sexual Content in Music, Movies, Television,
and Magazines Predicts Black and White Adolescents' Sexual Behavior,"
Movies
'condoning sex and drugs'
Violence
and Sex in Television Programs Do Not Sell Products in Advertisements
Impact
of the media on adolescent sexual attitudes and behaviors
Explicit media can lead to permissive
attitudes about sex (study)
Verbal sexual content on TV more
powerful than visual images (study)
Teens
overexposed to media sex
Linking
Exposure to Outcomes: Early Adolescents' Consumption of Sexual
Content in Six Media (Mar.2005)
Teens,
Sex & The Media
Teenagers and the Media: A Media Analysis of Sexual Content on Television
Professor studies sexuality and social messages
Can
the mass media be healthy sex educators?
Kaiser Research:
Sex
in TV 4 (2005);
Sex
on TV 3 (2003);
Teens,
Sex & TV (2002);
Sex
on TV 2 (2001)
News
Graphic
Research (Mediascope)
Teens,
Sex & The Media
Calvin Klein ads
(warning: some may find material here objectionable)
YSL
ad and
website
Sexism
and sexuality in advertising
|
Curriculum:
Youth Talk Back: Sex, Sexuality & Media Literacy;
Teacher Guide
Downloadable book with activities/resources:
Media, Sex and
Health: A Community Guide for Professionals and Parents
Lesson Plan:
Reality? TV: What is the media using sex to sell you?
Website/resource:
SexInAdvertising.com
Website/resource:
MediaRelate:
Understanding Media Images of Love, Sex & Relationships/MediaRelate:
teaching resources
Website/resource:
Teen Aware: Sex, Media & You
Student handout:
Sex,
Violence and Advertising
Sexualized Images in Advertising
There can be no denying that "sex sells." This article explores how advertisements in mainstream magazines have increasingly
relied on the explicit sexualization of both men and women to sell products.
Recommended texts/videos:
Page updated last:
11/22/2011
