Have you ever looked at an advertisement for lingerie and wondered, "Is this an advertisement for men or women?" It seems more often than not that an ad is for the men who are looking at the advertisement, not the woman who is buying the advertised product.
Sure, there is a certain curiosity to what lies underneath a woman's clothes for straight men, but should lingerie be marketed toward men?
The one commercial that comes to mind is the Victoria's Secret advertisements. The ad usually features some overlaying music with provocative lyrics such as, "I take a bite of you; come play with me."
Victoria's Secret models have never looked real to me. I could never compare. Of course, no one is stupid enough to believe that lingerie can be sexualized, because it covers the most private parts of a woman's body.
It is because the advertisements look like they can be put into Playboy Magazine, which specifically caters to men.
The image above was released as part of an advertisement from Victoria's Secret that some people questioned.
One commenter wrote: "Your customers are women, not porn stars. Stop catering to men."
Other comments mention how trashy some of the photography is becoming for Victoria's Secret as well.
What scares me is that preteens enter this media-driven world and see these sexualized images for products that they buy.
Victoria's Secret's "Pink" brand is advertised for younger girls. Younger girls should not have to be subjected to these advertisements.
Of course, one would think the ads for their Pink brand are not sexualized, but unfortunately that is not the case.
Above is an ad from the Victoria's Secret website, geared toward the younger crowd. This doesn't look like an advertisement appropriate for the 12-year-old girl who is looking for new underwear.
Victoria's Secret may not be doing well with their advertising, but one brand that is heading in the right direction is American Eagle's Aerie.
Aerie is most known for their "Aerie Real" campaign, in which they do not airbrush or Photoshop their models.
Their advertisements appear to cater more to the main target audience that a lingerie company should cater to -- women.
Victoria's Secret is the problem and Aerie is the solution. Take note, Victoria's Secret, and please consider who your target audience is when advertising.
