Leslie Immell
E. Jones
ENG 101 D18
3 February 2013
Please Save My Ta-ta’s
Thick, Raven black, slightly just-out-of-bed tousled hair adorns the most angelic, creamy, light mocha skinned face you could ever set eyes on. Perfectly spaced, almond shaped, brooding, dark eyes, with a searing "come hither" look, sit below well manicured dark eyebrows. High cheekbones, Hollywood starlets would pay half a fortune to emulate, dip towards firm, enticing lips that even Angelina can't claim. Broad, barren shoulders, polished to such a sheen that you could see your reflection in this modern day Michelangelo’s David, ripple into ever so slightly flexed bicep perfection. Two otherwise feminine flower-like tattoos grace the union of his sinewy torso to his upper extremities. Placed ever so delicately in his manly hands is a homely white plaque with black block letters "DON'T KNOW HOW TO CHECK YOUR BREASTS? I CAN HELP." Scant lettering across the bottom explains further, "Watch & learn from Henry Golding at www.askCLEO.com”. Using non-elaborate sexual imagery to elicit an instinctual reaction from women consumers works brilliantly to draw attention to the much more serious and not-so-sexy epidemic of breast cancer. Women consumers must be honest, sex sells. There is a very attractive, discretely half dressed man coyly looking out at the world from his magazine page. Some might view his proclamation as overly suggestive, but if you go to the suggested web site, there is a legit step-by-step video explaining how to do a proper breast exam. Jean Kilbourne attests,"...advertising is subliminal: not in the sense of hidden messages embedded in ice cubes, but in the sense that we aren't consciously aware of what advertising is doing." (59) In a world seeing the cases of breast cancer climb versus diminish, isn't it appropriate to use whatever resources are necessary to advocate for early detection?
All humans have an innate drive necessary to continue populating the Earth, and advertisers takes advantage of this simple biology when using sexual imagery to attract your attention, to stir the ‘groin of your subconscious’, so to say. Research has proven that the sight of bare skin of an attractive man sparks the same area of the brain that causes impulse buying and triggers the same biological responses of our reproductive mechanism. In the case of Mr. May-I-Help’s ad it would invite an impulse not to buy, but rather to explore his website and thus, learn about self-breast exams. Using the same sort of human chemistry, advertisers implore our pleasure senses. Pleasure senses invoke some of the strongest memories and positive memories create positive feelings, which will increase your desire to impulse buy. If you have ever had a sexual encounter of your own, you can without a doubt remember specific sights, smells, and maybe even tastes. When exposed to similar presentations of barren skin or bedroom eyes those pleasure senses revisit your previous experiences, eliciting the warm fuzzies of your own affair, setting in motion a hormonal explosion and next thing ya know, Bam! You’re the proud new owner of a self-breast exam video!
In keeping with toying with our emotions, and our hormones, sexual innuendo’s run rampant in today’s advertising. “I CAN HELP” suggests the risqué possibility of Mr. Golding placing those God-like hands somewhere in the general vicinity of ones breasts. Unless you have sworn a vow of celibacy, or you’re dead, the invitation of such a possibility is going to at least set the wheels of your Utopian brain in motion. A-ha! Step one of any marketing strategy- grab the consumer’s attention. Full, slightly parted lips and shadowed, beguiling eyes make direct eye contact, making you feel his attentions are directed at you, and only you. Mr. Golding’s seductive facial expression and flirtatious gazing creates a false sense of coupling. Suddenly you are stranded alone on a deserted island with Henry Golding, only the
