The Ethical Dilemma of Sexual Appeal in Advertising Essay example

Words: 2638
Pages: 11
Open Document
Justin D. Clegg
Comms 300 Media Law
M. Driessen

The Ethical Dilemma of Sexual Appeal in Advertising

The old adage “sex-sells” is an assumption that has caused an ethical dilemma in a fast moving world filled with media consumers and advertising. The use of sexual appeal in advertising has increased dramatically in the United States within the last decade. Its misuse and pervasiveness surround us every day and elicit powerful emotions by individuals of all ages, both male and female. Sex in advertising has been around for years and continues to drive media messages in society simply because it works. Ads with sexual appeal are more attention getting, arousing and memorable. A single male college student is far more likely to …show more content…
To find the answer to this question, we have to understand morals. Morals are the beliefs that people use as a standard to judge what is right or what is wrong. Every day we make choices and use our own individual ability to judge for ourselves what is ethical or not using our own experiences, morals and points of view. Sadly, in the world we live in today, morals aren’t enough. Moral relativism becomes a deal breaker because individuals choose their own “right and wrong” and build their own “standard scale” to fit their needs. Ethics go one step further than morals by serving as guidelines for organizations like ad agencies. Ethics create boundaries regarding what is acceptable and what is not. Attractive models on television can portray suggestiveness and nudity are standard elements of TV commercials tto target appeal and emotion. Commercial producers will even go as far as including suggestive music or audio files that portray sexuality. Sexual appeal in TV commercials involve a much higher amount of ethical controversy than print ads because of the high number of individuals that watch the commercials. One of the biggest ethical issues is the implication of advertising to children. In order to protect children from commercial exploitation, watchdog groups have formed to minimize the damage. Some of the organizations are the Stop Commercial Exploitation of Children (SCEC), American Academmy of Child and
Show More

Related Documents: The Ethical Dilemma of Sexual Appeal in Advertising Essay example

Ethics and Business School Leeds Essay

Byng Leeds University Business School Lecture 5 Ethics in marcoms Tony Byng Learning outcomes for today • Discuss ethical questions for marcoms • Consider a framework of potential ethical issues confronting marcoms professionals • Reflect on personal attitudes to key ethical issues Leeds University Business School Leeds University Business School Ethical questions 1 LUBS5455 – Marketing Communications – Tony Byng Does marcoms…. provide information? help us make…

Words 1296 - Pages 6

Grey's Anatomy Analysis

doctors in the fictional Seattle hospital Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital. The background is predominantly in the hospital and occasionally in the character’s homes. The show is based on the character’s lives as medical professionals and their dilemmas in relationships. The specific episode I watched is called “Who’s Zoomin’ Who?” This is the last episode of the first season, which I chose to watch because it had such a high viewer rating. This episode is about several of the…

Words 2304 - Pages 10

Essay about Advertising Pr Industry

ADVERTISING 318J FALL 2013 LECTURE NOTES Exam 1 Day 2 Sept. 3, 2013 Which ads are good? Bad? Mini Cooper Ad (bad) Porche (good) people can afford porche Hieneken Beer (excellent) Fiat (okay?) Godiva (bad?) ALL OF THEM WERE BEST OF THE BEST I. III. Advertising is everywhere, surrounds us b. Most people in US like advertising i. Helps them with product information ii. Supports Media they use (won’t have cable without advertising) iii. Advertising can be fun What is advertising? b. “Advertising…

Words 4497 - Pages 18

Gp Essay Mainpoints

GP NOTES 2010 (ESSAY) Content Page 1. Media a. New vs. Traditional b. New: narcissistic? c. Government Censorship d. Profit-driven Media e. Advertising f. Private life of public figures g. Celebrity as a role model h. Blame media for our problems i. Power + Responsibility of Media j. Media ethics k. New Media and Democracy 2. Science/Tech a. Science and Ethics b. Government and scientist role in science c. Rely too much on technology? d. Nuclear technology…

Words 24667 - Pages 99