From a very young age, who we are is molded by external expectations. How we should look, act, dress, think, and treat others is all decided and made known to us while we grow up. Sometimes we can disregard the harm of these messages by excusing them as optional suggestions; however, we may fail to recognize just how impressionable we truly are and, therefore, remain ignorant to our own susceptibility to the rape culture. In truth, the culture that surrounds us “is a complex of beliefs that encourages male sexual aggression and supports violence against women” (Roth/Buchwald XI). Of all the factors that contribute to the crafting of this society, perhaps none is more dominant than the influence of the media, specifically advertisements. The idea that “sex sells” is a common theme among advertisements and this prevailing trend can have harmful impacts in the way it develops attitudes about gender, sex, power, and violence.

With the roots of our society’s ideas about men and women running so deep, it can be difficult to determine whether the sexualization of women and glorification of violence in the media is a result of the rape culture or a cause of it. However, children are not born with the intention of being oppressive or submissive to another person because of their gender. These ideas must be taught to them—and they are, from a very young age. “Meantime even children have easy access to pornography in video games and on the World Wide Web, which includes explicit photographs of women having intercourse with groups of men, with dogs, donkeys, horses, and snakes; photographs of women being raped and tortured; some of these women made up to look like little girls” (Kilbourne 285). Not only do children have easy access to these disturbing images, but they are unable to avoid them. A study from the University of Georgia shows that the prevalence of sexual images in the media has nearly doubled since 1983 and has been present in 27 percent of magazine ads in recent years (Mulvey). That means that if a person were to only see 10 advertisements a day, they would still be exposed to three sexual images daily just from ads. How is this statistic possible? Why are sexual images becoming more common in the media in spite of societal progressions toward equality? The answer is simple: sex sells. Or, at least, that is the common belief—and it has gained momentum as more and more companies are seduced by the idea of it. Considering these factors, it can be concluded that ads both contribute to and result from the rape culture as each variable feeds into one another and further develops the message that aggressive, forceful, and violent behavior toward women is inconsequential or even normal.

When asked their motives for using sexual images in advertisements, most companies will allocate their decision to the simple idea that sex sells. This is the belief that the human brain is automatically attracted to sex and therefore, sexual images will inescapably capture the attention of consumers—which is the purpose of an advertisement. While this sounds innocent enough, sexual images on advertisements are often dehumanizing, as they present women in very submissive positions or include disparaging slogans. In these cases, companies may not be taking into account what they are really selling. Through displaying these damaging images casually, it normalizes sexually abusive behavior and sends a harmful message that women are objects for men to take. In fact, “rape is an act of sexual aggression that can sometimes bear a remarkable similarity to what may be considered "normal" sexual behavior for men” (Katz 150). While these ideas of sexual behavior are not developed exclusively through advertisements, ads play a larger role in the development of our beliefs than we may realize due to their prevalence and oftentimes, high level of sexuality.

Furthermore, ads that sexualize women are not just harmful in causing men to view women as objects, but in causing women to view themselves as objects. “Our culture relentlessly assaults girls and women with the idea that femininity and sexuality are intertwined: that their bodies and their sexual behavior are the only things that are truly valued and desired by heterosexual men” (Katz 152). When women are constantly seen positioned suggestively or photo-shopped to look perfect, it impacts the way that a woman sees herself—which can result in both psychological and physical damage. If a woman starts to think of herself as nothing more than a body, she can become obsessed with measuring up to the impossible expectations of women in advertisements or feel obligated to submit to men in the same way that these women do. This could also mean that a woman is quicker to excuse violence toward herself or blame herself for being the victim of assault. Additionally, these images teach women a detrimental lesson: to inexorably compare themselves to other women. Not only does this result in personal discontentment on the part of an individual, but it also causes women to search for flaws in other females. This means that women are being objectified, impossibly judged, and diminished by men, other women, and themselves—which only furthers her feelings of inhumanity and low self-worth.

With all of these factors taken into account, we can readdress the question: what are these ads really selling? Simply, they are selling the rape culture. They are selling the standardization of violence, the objectification of women, eating disorders and other mental disorders, and countless other factors that lead to a dismissal of sexual assault as “normal."

If this is the case, why would people buy these products? How can sex sell if it comes with all these drawbacks? Men are attracted to buy these products due to their promise of power. Sexual images in ads that display a woman with her legs open to a man in a suit or a man drinking a beer surrounded by women are not about sex. They are about the power the man is assured by purchasing the product. Similarly, sexual assault is about power rather than sex. So, why would woman buy these products? They are certainly not promised the gift of power; rather, they are enticed by the guarantee of being viewed as sexy. After being reduced to nothing more than a body, women are trained to believe that this is the greatest gift they can be offered, and that is why companies believe the “sex sells” theory also applies to women.

Typically, advertisements for alcohol, fashion, perfume and cars will apply the sex sells belief when trying to attract the attention of consumers. All of these things relate to status, and with status comes power and desirability—both reasoning behind why sex sells. Using sex to sell alcohol is the most dangerous of these since alcohol is so commonly linked to sexual assault, and by using sex to sell these beverages, it is equating the two and suggesting that alcohol promises sex. However, alcohol consumption does not excuse sexual assault—whether the perpetrator was drinking, the victim, or both. The more that this idea is used as justification for violence, the more strongly the rape culture is endorsed

Additionally, violence related to sex is common in the world of advertisements. Men are frequently pictured holding a woman down or standing over her. Sometimes a woman is bound or even hanging out of a car trunk as though she was kidnapped. Putting ads like these in the public eye “contribute to the state of terror. And objectification and disconnection create a climate in which there is widespread and increasing violence. Turning a human being into a thing, an object, is almost always the first step toward justifying violence against that person” (Kilbourne 278). Advertising in this way appears to be something that would result in public outcry rather than the sale of a product. However, certain products do this intentionally based off the premise that any press is good press, and shock from the community would result in free advertisement. Also, people may not feel guilty buying a product due to a distasteful ad because they could feel that their purchase is entirely independent of the ad. This is why violence in advertisement may not deter women as strongly as we may expect; conversely, it may result in an increase in sales resulting from a greater name recognition of the product.

Using the same reasoning behind why sex sells—because it captures the attention of consumers—many ads that include violence will apply this logic to reach the conclusion that shock sells. In fact, the popular fashion company Calvin Klein is well-known for its ability to sell by using shock to get media coverage. “In 1995 he brought the federal government down on himself by running a campaign that may have crossed the line into child pornography” (Kilbourne 284). Kilbourne continues to explain that, despite taking these ads down, Calvin Klein was able to increase its jean sales because of both the attention they attracted and the rebellious reputation established for the company.

Overall, companies will utilize marketing schemes in their advertising that serve to capture the attention of customers in order to increase the popularity and recognition of their brand. Many ads will rely on sex to sell their products. However, images of women posing provocatively on the beach or being restrained by a man erotically are harmful because they are not about sex. They are about male dominance, the dehumanization of women, the parallelization of sex and violence, and, ultimately, the establishment and encouragement of the rape culture. Whether sex really sells or not, there is no denying its overwhelming presence in advertising; and this presence sends damaging messages about the expectations surrounding gender, sex, power, and violence. The ideas delivered through sexual images in advertisements are the ones that lead to a culture that dismisses sexual assault as normal or unimportant. They are the ideas that lead people to hold sexual assault victims guilty for their assault by “asking for it." These are the ideas that cause women to feel deserving of being abused or insulted and cause men to think this behavior is okay. These are the ideas that need to stop being fed to people in order to truly put an end to the rape culture.

Katz, Jackson. "A Look Inside the Book." A Look Inside the Book. N.p., 9 Nov. 2009. Web. 25 Mar. 2016.

Kilbourne, Jeanette. "Two Ways a Woman Can Get Hurt by Jean Kilbourne - Term Paper - 1589 Words." StudyMode. N.p., 23 Oct. 2012. Web. 25 Mar. 2016.

Mulvey, Jeanette. "Why Sex Sells...More Than Ever." Business News Daily. BusinessNewsDaily, 7 June 2012. Web. 25 Mar. 2016.

Roth, Martha. "Robot Check." Robot Check. Ed. Emilie Buchwald and Pamela Fletcher. Milkweed Editions, Feb. 2005. Web. 25 Mar. 2016.