03 October 2008

Secksual Deezire

We have a teenage friend that's nuts for this shirt from American Apparel. Funny, we had the same shirt when *I* was a teenager. It changes color from hot/warm to cool/cold in kind of a tie-dye sort of way. However, my curiosity isn't about the shirt as much as it is about the ad. In the picture shown, I can't tell if the person is a boy (stash) or a girl. Maybe that's their point - it works for both boys and girls... unisex. I think it's kinda trashy of a picture not only because of the look on the face, but where the hand was that made that face. Perhaps this post makes me look prude, which isn't really a trait I'm known for or even in my Top 10, but I'm annoyed that it seems advertising keeps getting naughtier and naughtier - especially aimed at the youth. When I went to the AA site, the thermochromatic shirt wasn't easy to find (I had to link from the ad). Instead I ended up seeing magazine covers (h0m0secksually targeted) that are reeeeally too suggestive (and that's putting it lightly) for a place that's geared to teens: up-close nekid guy playing the drums, showing pretty much everything but barely covering the actual stuff; woman with a pleasured facial expression, brea$t out and her hand downstairs; guy in small b!k!n! briefs with his hand down his cr8tch, finger in his nose and two hands coming from behind him pinching his nips. These are all COVERS of the mags, not like others that strategically hide the raunchier images between the pages. The product images make me feel slightly like it's getting close to kittie pron (or that's their inspiration); the girls look about 14yrs old. NOW I'm going to date myself, but I remember the days that suggestive reading material wasn't available at grocery check-out, it was ordered via the mail and came in brown paper packaging; product images were of PRODUCT and not underage-looking grooming-to-be-pron-star girls; if people WERE used in product images, they were smiling and covered; at the stores, the product was shown on modestly dressed mannequins and not 15 foot suggestive pictures (A&F, Vickie's Secret) that lure you in as you walk by. I know that it's advertising's job to make people want their things, but I wish we didn't have to keep going down the slippery slope of secksual desire to make it happen. I think the advertising industry is a major contributing factor in the increase of inappropriate secksual desires (ISD). Sure, I am not the barometer of ISD, but my opinion (that can probably be backed up by fact but I have things to do and no time to research) is that this world is dealing with more lewd conduct these days than it did twenty years ago. Am I the only one that thinks so?

11 comments:

QueenScarlett said...

I feel so sorry for the kids growing up with all this... I can't imagine how hard it is. It scares me. And I'm no prude. I wish they'd leave our kids alone.

Britanny said...

No--I agree. Prude or not.

Carina said...

No, you're not the only one, in fact, you're not even CLOSE to the only one.

The head of American Apparel, Dov Charney, is currently facing his FOURTH sexual harassment law suit. It's not just the visuals of the magazine, the whole workplace has issues (including the CEO's insistence on wearing only underwear.)

He's been profiled by CBS, and most of the major news outlets as successful, but tawdry.

I mean, I want to support all American made and living-wage workplaces, but their stuff is increasingly sullied with not just their marketing, but their corporate culture.

EW.

Anonymous said...

I love the creative miss-spellings to keep spammers away!

I agree they are pushing advertising way to far.

Sister Pottymouth said...

NO. Absolutely not. It's disgusting. And you know that these ad execs are adults. Why are they creating this stuff in the first place? You'd think it would be illegal. It makes me ill.

Becky said...

I totally agree with you. Comment by Azucar: scary!

Kelli said...

I'm a prude, too.
I went to a bridal shower for my future sister in law. My mom was with me. I was extremely embarrassed. I gave her an apron (how embarrassing). There was much more fabric in my gift than any other gift. i couldn't believe the things that they thought were appropriate and funny. I was just plain disgusted. Like I said, I'm a prude. and I'm proud.

Anonymous said...

I agree, too. The world is selling sex everywhere and to everyone and with the most innocuous products. I'm with Queen--I wish they'd back off away from our kids.

Gerb said...

Totally agreeing here. It's part of the reason we stopped watching T.V. four years ago. Too much trash!

Tiffany Wacaser said...

Unfortunately, this kind of advertising is not new. In high school (15 years ago) I was part of a group that discussed issues about women and girls. We created a poster of advertising and images from the magazines that teens read everyday to show how brazen the images were. Parents were horrified and made us take down the poster. But did they stop the subscriptions coming into their homes? No.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for turning me on to that psudo pron site.