"Sex sells but not for me"

We would all like to claim that we purchase products simply because we need them for survival as they fill certain needs in our lives. We live in a world in which consumer goods link us to certain groups. We are always trying to keep up with the latest fads. This fostering of desire to purchase certain goods and services has a profound impact on all ages. Reflecting back on my elementary days, the Tamagotchi or Nano handheld digital pet was extremely popular. Everyone in the schoolyard had one, including me. When something new came out we all quickly ran to the toy store to buy it as we didn’t want to be the only ones that did not have the “it” things.

Whether we are in public or in the privacy of our homes, walking across campus or watching TV we are heavily influenced by advertising. Advertising is part of the world we live. This is a world in which it seems normal to be addressed as a consumer in virtually every aspect of our lives. In some sense we have become walking advertisements by wearing clothes that plaster their brand name on t-shirts, sweaters, and pants. Advertising has many important functions including differentiating the “new” product from competing products, communicating general information, creating demands and generating profit. As noted in lecture, in order to capitalize sales, consumer capitalism employs the religious notion of desire into their advertisements. Similar to the religious desire for God’s love, the desire for products advertised are assumed to help individuals live better and fuller lives.

This desire becomes problematic, especially in relation to religion, when advertisers turn to sexual appeal and desire to generate products. As stated in “Consuming Faith: Advertising the Pornographic Gaze and Religious Desire” the central expression for advertising is that “sex sells.” Although most of us agree with this statement, we also feel it does not apply to us. Images of female bodies are everywhere- women and their body parts sell everything from food to cars. 

Magazines are filled with advertisements for quick weight loss in order to have it all- the perfect career, marriage, relationships. The unattainable body image (available through airbrushing and photo shop) is being imposed on women and young girls. This unattainable image is also presented in children’s toys such as Barbie.

Children are becoming more aware of the ideal body image and compare themselves to the extremely thin models in advertisements. As stated in the article “female beauty is seen as the epitome of feminine objectives” (page 59). Young girls are taught to be beautiful and desirable. This is extremely evident in shows like “Little Miss Perfect Pageant” or “Toddlers and Tiaras.” Children are becoming increasingly more competitive, pulling out all the stops to be crowned the most beautiful, “perfect” girl at the pageant. A lot of the children enroll in these pageants to fulfill their parent’s fantasy.

TLC’s show Toddlers and Tiaras has generated a lot of controversy. It follows the lives of multiple young girls who compete in beauty pageants around the United States. Pageant parents spend a lot of money on “wow wear”, pageant gowns, makeup, fake eyelashes, hair extensions, hair stylists, makeup artists and fake tans. Parents even invest in “flippers” –fake teeth if they feel their child’s teeth haven’t grown in perfectly.

Before sending their children on stage to “perform” parents often pump up their children with energy drinks and encourage their children to “shake what they got.” Not only are contestants fighting for the title and tiara, but they are also competing for thousands of dollars. Pageant contests glorify the commercial value of female beauty. Many children that lose these pageants view themselves as less desirable or beautiful. A child’s self-esteem is lowered and as the article states, the contestants in these pageants view their self-worth in relation to how desirable they appear in the opinion of the often male judges. It was interesting that the article pointed out most of these Pageants occur in very religious and conservative states. Assuming these parents are Christian and religious (which some are as you see parents praying before their child goes on stage), whatever happened to loving and respecting the body God blessed you with? On this quest to achieve beauty, how far will individuals go?

Link to a clip from "Toddler's and Tiaras": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABzMAuI1vj0