Sexual Messages in Advertising & Other
Media
(see recommended texts below)
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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
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
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
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.
Research:
Study: Profit Motive
Behind Sexualization of Tween Girls
Research:
Sexualization of Girls Is Linked to Common Mental
Health Problems in Girls and Women-Eating Disorders
Research:
Sex in ads (apparently)
doesn't sell (to women)
Research: "Sexy
Media Matter: Exposure to Sexual Content in Music, Movies, Television,
and Magazines Predicts Black and White Adolescents' Sexual Behavior,"
Research: Movies
'condoning sex and drugs"
Research: Violence
and Sex in Television Programs Do Not Sell Products in Advertisements
Research: Impact
of the media on adolescent sexual attitudes and behaviors
Research: Explicit media can lead to permissive
attitudes about sex (study)
Research: Verbal sexual content on TV more
powerful than visual images (study)
Research: Teens
overexposed to media sex
Research: Linking
Exposure to Outcomes: Early Adolescents' Consumption of Sexual
Content in Six Media (Mar.2005)
Research: Teens,
Sex & The Media
Research: Teenagers and the Media: A Media Analysis of Sexual Content on Television
Research: Professor studies sexuality and social messages
Research: 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
Recommended texts:
Page updated last:
04/25/2008
