Sex, sexuality, and sex products in advertising
In the late 19th century, tobacco companies in the U.S. advertised their products using trading cards featuring women posing for the camera, a thigh showing here and an ankle exposed there. Part of the legacy of sexualized advertising, these ads presented women almost like dolls, dressed up, inviting stares, and selling cigarettes.
In the 1970s, Jovan Musk Oil released highly sexualized ads, including one with a woman’s disembodied legs, implying the product would make the wearer irresistible to the object of his desire (a woman). The message? Sex sells, and you can sell more if you sell sex.
Fast forward to the early aughts when Carl’s Jr. ads went viral to millions, showcasing various en vogue models and celebrities, scantily clad and chowing down on gigantic cheeseburgers suggestively.
We know sex is a powerful force in people's lives. In some ways, it makes sense advertisers jumped (and continue jumping) to use it to sell products and services. But does sex sell?
We have two opposing forces at play. Advertising uses women’s sexuality, a Frankenstein version, to sell products and services. Yet women have little ad space for exploring their sexuality authentically. In some ways, how women feel about sex, sex toys, sexual identity, pleasure, desire, and more is absent in advertising. It’s implied, contorted, and avoided in messaging. Instead, women are often face to face with a reductionist version of their sexuality, with them as objects for men’s desire.
Sex sells — poorly.
Compared to men, women are more likely to be portrayed in advertising as decorative, visually fragmented, or dismembered — reduced to body parts rather than agency. Though some ads don a snappy facade of empowerment, women are still largely portrayed as the feminine ideal — fashionable, slim, primarily white, and sexually attractive, at least through the male gaze.
So, how do these objectifying advertisements land for women?
Not well. One recent study found that sexualized advertising appears to have a negative impact on brand logo recognition and NO impact on explicit brand name recall. Perhaps unsurprisingly, one meta-analysis found men are more likely to respond positively to sexualized ads, but overall, there may be a negative effect on brand attitude. So, in terms of impacting brand recognition, sex is not the way to go when advertising to women (or men).
The way women think about sex products and advertising
The scope of sexualization in ads helps clarify the landscape but doesn’t provide a solution. We have to listen to women for that. We must understand how women feel about their sexuality to speak to them in our advertising.
Let’s talk about sex.
Our research shows that 71% of women who bought sex products bought them online; 61% bought them in a store. While many women buy these products from the comfort of their homes, nearly as many are public and visible to others when doing so. Most—69%—had an excellent or very good experience buying sex toys. So overall, women are engaging with these products and are happy with their purchasing experience.
Yet, only 36% are completely comfortable purchasing sex products. How many more women would purchase sex products if they were more comfortable? How would that change their willingness to talk openly about the products they purchase and recommend them to others? Brands gain a lot if women become more comfortable with their sex-related purchases. Let’s get to the root of the discomfort.
Of those who are uncomfortable, 46% say it’s definitely because sex is a taboo topic. Many (42%) say sex should sort of be kept for private discussions. However, over half (58%) share with others that they purchased sex products, but mostly with a spouse or close friends. These purchases, even if they happen publicly, are not discussed publicly.
That could be because 71% of women say men and women are sort of or definitely viewed differently when it comes to sex-related topics. Women of all ages and segments have a lot of thoughts about this taboo topic in particular.
“Men are seen as superior if they have sex with a lot of people, but women are seen as having no morals if they do the same.” -Brand Approver
“Women’s sexual health is considered secondary or separate from their overall health. Men’s sexual health is seen as inseparable from their overall health.” -Boundary Pusher
“I feel like there’s a lot of judgment around peoples’ sex lives that isn’t the business of others. I’ve encountered this in conversations with girlfriends, where it feels like our sex lives are still treated like some form of status or currency.” -Female Favorer
Boundary Pushers are most likely to disagree that women don’t need brands to use specific language about bodily functions in their advertisements—they want accuracy and specificity, not innuendo. They’re also statistically less likely to say it’s inappropriate for brands to discuss natural bodily functions in their advertising.
Though Boundary Pushers are the most likely of the three segments to be at the forefront of social change, they shouldn’t be doing the heavy lifting for brands.
Let’s talk about sex differently.
Social change takes time, but every time an advertiser chooses differently, it can inch us that much closer to a future of our design. The research shows that sex doesn’t sell the way it used to, and it’s not particularly memorable in the ways brands might want. Consumers understand the power they wield with brands—one bad review can stop another consumer in their tracks. Brand reputation can live and die through social media conversations. And there are plenty of consumers like Boundary Pushers who are fed up, vocal, and actively pushing for change.
Advertising in the sexual products and services space requires a delicate (and intentional) touch to sell to women. You can advertise sex products without showing any skin. You can lead with felt sense, experience, and playful innuendo rather than cheap thrills. You can show women embracing their sexuality in realistic, multi-dimensional ways. You know, how women actually have sex. Our work with Lion’s Den and We-Vibe is a case in point.
We have a few recommendations if your product or service serves women and has anything to do with their bodies.
Eliminate objectification/sexualization. Make women authentic representations, not objects, in your brand's story.
Continue to embrace body and age diversity. We see more and more of this in ads. It’s great. We need more of it. Check out a human-first, sex-positive ad our team recently crafted for Lion’s Den to see what we mean.
Use anatomically correct terminology. Women do not need you to use cutesy terms for their body parts and bodily functions. Menstruation. Period. Vulva. Orgasm. Clitoris. Uterus. Be direct with your language.
Be like Dame, a sex and wellness brand that took legal action to ensure their female-forward advertising could receive equal treatment by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). Visibility normalizes women’s sexuality, making it easier for women to feel comfortable expressing it (through purchases or otherwise).
We know you can do it, and if you want help, we’ll be with you every step of the way. Email us at hello@fancynyc.com to create better ads. And for more insights, download our executive summary.
