This objectification of women as worthy based only on their sexual appeal is similarly seen in a Michelob beer advertisement. Here, a woman’s body is legitimately turned into an object – a bottle of beer – in an attempt to sell the product. The only feature that remains ‘human’ is her face; her head is thrown back, her eyes are closed, and her mouth is open as if gasping in a moment of orgasmic passion. Sex sells, and here Michelob is clearly attempting to take advantage of the female sexual image by equating it to their product. Jean Kilbourne has spent her career addressing the negative influence of advertisements such as these, and argues that “by creating a climate within which the marketing of women’s bodies – the sexual sell and dismemberment, distorted body image ideals, and children as sex objects – is seen as acceptable” (Kilbourne 1998). The pervading presence of sexualized advertisements normalizes stereotypical gender roles, and serves to maintain women’s inferiority in a patriarchal society.
Kilbourne, Jean. “The More you Subtract, The More you Add: Cutting Girls Down to Size.” Deadly persuasion: why women and girls must fight the addictive power of advertising. New York, NY: Free Press, 1999. 128-154. Print.