Do Women Respond to Sexual Ads?

Warning!  This post includes honest discussions of sex and porn.   If these topics make you squeamish, stop reading now.

OK - for those of you brave enough to continue, here we go.

We've certainly seen how different genders react differently to advertising messages.  What women want and are attracted to can be different from what men want and are attracted to. This is not true in every case, but depending on the subject matter, the differences can be striking.

Sex is one such subject matter.   I've written before about studies on how men and women react differently to sex in advertising.

Now there is another study with similar results.  Do fashion magazine ads that ooze with pictures of sexy seductive women work?  Especially magazines ads aimed almost 100% at women? 

A research team at the University of Florida in Gainesville studied this question.  They conducted a study where 100 college aged women rated photos of attractive women.   the participants rated their emotional reactions to the pictures.   

The results were quite interesting.

Here's what the researchers found:

The more seductive the model, the more it left the women bored and uninterested, according to lead author Robyn Goodman.

The findings seem to contradict the sensual images that saturate the ads in glossy female magazines. "It seems they missed the mark here," said Jon Morris, one of the co-authors. He added that the results also illuminate a gap between the male executives who are marketing the magazines and the consumers.

Read the full article at MSNBC. 

This also reminded me of the quote from the girl team at 3iying...

Although the maxim "sex sells" may have ruled for years, from a girl's perspective the erotica in marketing is excessive, dirty, uninformative, and most importantly, a huge turnoff.

I chimed in earlier about my own feelings about fashion ads in women's magazines.   I pointed to an ad for Di Modolo with Tea Leoni- an ad in which she is seated casually and comfortably, wearing jeans and a white cotton top, with a normal slight smile, wearing some gorgeous jewelry.   This ad really connected with me, and from the comments I've gotten online and offline, connected with many other women as well.

So why the disconnect?  Why did such a simple non-sexual ad stand out?  Why aren't women relating to these sexy fashion ads that are clearly aimed squarely at women?   One of my guesses is......porn.

Now, I am not a consumer of porn.   A lot of people are.  I have no problem with that.  To each his own.  I'm not here to sit in judgment.   My experience with porn has pretty much been limited to an accidental trip to the Playboy channel or free offerings in hotel rooms.   

The experience always left me cold.   Now, it could be that I am seeing the "bottom of the barrel" so to speak.   There may be more high quality porn out there.  But I just don't get it.

Why do women moan and groan and carry on and on, and yet the guy never makes a sound...not a squeak.   Why is that?    I can only surmise that guys get turned on by the noise of the woman.

But come on......my bullshit meter is buzzing away.   These noises aren't authentic.  her facial expressions aren't authentic.  The situations aren't authentic.    My brain goes - this is all a hoax, pay absolutely no attention.

I suspect the same thing may be happening in fashion ads.  Look at the outfits, and more importantly...look at the poses.   Why is she always arching her back like that?   You may find it sexy.  I just want to call a chiropractor. 

Look at the facial expressions - same thing - they either look miserable, or like they're trying too hard to look cool.   I mean, who really sticks their lips out like that in real life?   

I still stand by my opinion that sex CAN sell to women, but only when it's presented in a more authentic, real manner and only when it portrays the aspects of sex and or romance that SHE finds stimulating.

My apologies to any readers I have offended with this frank discussion, but someone needs to talk about this stuff.

Comments

[Chris]

As a red bloodied male, I am never turned on by what are obviously unauthentic noises or expressions. In fact all the things that are supposed to do great things for us including big breasts make me want to walk away. If they made porn specifically for women...........and I am told there is a demand....... Then I would watch it.

[Mary]

Interesting observation Holly. It's like getting warm from watching rotating tin foil with a red light pointed at it... It sort of looks like a fire, but contains nothing that would actually start one.

[racyli]

So then my question is, are women more likely to buy things if the sexy images are of hot men? (Hence the bodice-ripping covers of romance novels).

[Mary Schmidt]

Personally, I've always found porn both comical and boring. Of course, I've not watched much of it, so maybe I'm missing something. Like you say, to each their own. I'm all for adults doing, saying, watching whatever - as long as small children or animals aren't involved and they don't make me listen or watch.

The porn I have seen - everybody looks either bored or in pain or both at the same time. Guess "pain" is as close they can come to acting out ecstasy.

Which brings me to women's reaction to "sexy" ads. We know how artificial all the sexy stuff can be. We know how much hard work it is to look that good and hold that pose. Stilettos hurt the toes, thigh-highs scratch, and thongs - well- let's just say thongs make sitting on a hot car seat (or cold leather chair) really interesting...

So, we femmes yawn and flip the page.

I'm all for sensual, sensous, romantic. "Hot" men, well photographed in those ways - yep, I'll check it out. But, no, I'm not interested in those stupid porn "cutting edge" photos you see in so many magazines. Trying way too hard, way too self-consciously "cool" and - well - boring.

Compare and contrast the ads with the photo of Brad Pitt in a past Vanity Fair. Yes, he was nude...and it was a beautiful piece of art. I bought the issue just so I could look at the photo (and still have it.)

And then there was that cover shot in another mag of George Clooney, fully clothed, including coat and gloves, holding a phone. My, my, my...yes, yes, I'll buy the bistro table, I'll buy the coat, I'll buy the phone! (Oh, those are just photo props? Heh, never mind.)

[frank]

medicine would disagree with your subjective observation. women who were hooked up to eeg's responded to porn just like men. the brain waves reacted in nano seconds. can't talk about ads in women's mags, the study did not use that for triggers.

[Mary]

I think they are downgraded since it puts out of an image of women that's isn't always true. We've been fighting for rights and respect and it's almost like that's being taken away in a way.