Essay on Consumerism in a Sexual Economy - 1196 Words

Have you ever flicked through a magazine nonchalantly and been stopped flat by some image that you just couldn’t pull your eyes away from? If so then the advertisement did its job, and may even be worth the chunk of change it cost to produce. The people of the United States have seen and heard about countless products for so many years, and that has brought about a problem for the corporations putting the ads out. With so many ads pushing into the heads of the American public, there has been desensitization and a growing accustomed to all the advertisements. If the consumer does not pay attention to the ad then the company has wasted money on an unsuccessful tactic to secure more business. This problem is a large driving force behind†¦show more content†¦The white underwear on his tanned body draws the viewer’s attention toward the product, but this is all accentuated by the giant erect (pardon the pun) statue and blue sky in the background. The picture w as taken looking up towards the model which places him on a pedestal of superiority, and while this is all going on the bold faced â€Å"Calvin Klein Underwear† is right below. This first ad was a radical change in the way underwear was advertised in the early eighties, however if this ad were put into a magazine today the public wouldn’t be surprised by its sexual nature. This is the problem mentioned earlier that advertisers have temporarily fixed by creating ever more shocking and sexual ads. As time progressed through the eighties into the nineties, Calvin Klein ads continued to become more extreme in order to keep grabbing attention of the consumer. This ad titled Bed is another of Klein’s sexually charged shockers. This ad dà ©buted in 1991 in various magazines and other printed media. This advertisement is absolutely loaded with sexuality, promiscuity, and meaning. The viewer of the ad is first confronted by the homosexuality that should be quite obvious. In the nineties and still somewhat today, male homosexuality has been taboo. This makes the ad uncomfortable for many viewers but at the same time does its job to draw attention. The two men in the image have longer hair and aren’t extremely muscular,Show MoreRelatedConsumerism And Consumerism854 Words   |  4 Pagesstatus in society. All of this exemplifies consumerism. According to Merriam Webster, consumerism is defined as â€Å"the theory that an increasing consumption of goods is economically desirable; also : a preoccupation with and inclination toward the buying of consumer goods.† It has persuaded American society into believing that more is better, which has corrupted and distorted the economic culture of America. Since the Industrial Revolution, America’s economy has been highly reliant upon heavy industryRead MorePlayboy : The Cultural Impact Of Playboy1430 Words   |  6 Pageshigh of 5.6 million to 800,000 copies today. 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