Have you ever noticed how nightlife venues almost always use some sexy girl’s image on their promotional flyers?
Let’s look at a few, shall we?
First off, here’s a flyer (with the name of the venue edited out) snagged from an EpiCentre club’s Facebook. A naked girl wearing red heels laced up the thighs is drenched in water. The text promises us that this place is “redefining nightlife.” But tell me, have you ever seen a wet T-shirt contest going down in the EpiCentre? In fact, I’m pretty sure if patrons dressed up to club standards and paid good money to get into the establishment, they’d be pretty pissed if they were doused with a bucket of water.
Here we have a flyer advertising Friday nights at another Uptown nightspot. As you can see, the woman’s bra is slipping ever so seductively off her breast and she’s smiling brightly, with the text, “Thank Goodness It’s Free.” But what is “free,” exactly? Furthermore, according to this flyer, Friday nights are Ladies Night … but how does this entice us ladies to want to check out the spot? If anything, this will beckon the male patron even more so than the female patron.
And of course, we’ve got to include the ever popular Christmas in July flyer. I love Christmas, but I hate celebrating it in July — it’s just wrong. Furthermore, nothing about this red bikini-clad babe says Christmas. Why is her image more prominent than the father of Christmas himself, Santa Claus? From the alluring look on her face, it’s easy to guess that she’s on the naughty list — but again, what about this flyer makes us want to check out this Uptown bar’s Christmas in July party? Because guaranteed, the place was packed.
Women are objectified and sexified in all kinds of advertisements. But let’s think about this for a minute. Clubs want ladies to frequent their spots because where the ladies are, there the men will follow (why do you think “Ladies Night” and “no cover for ladies” exist?). And yet these particular advertisements online are clearly geared toward men. Hmmm. Am I missing something?
What about a scantily dressed, good-looking female on a flyer entices people to check out a nightlife event? Readers, please enlighten me.
This article appears in Aug 24-30, 2010.
As I viewed splash, I first looked at the shoes, then the flow of the dress, yes dress…this and those photos will appeal to men, but makes the women come more visual to the space..if you know what I mean. Women will pump up the style and fire..end note. I love creative lofing..been turning your pages for many moons…ps I got that black bra.
CORRECTION: As I viewed splash, I first looked at the shoes, then the flow of the dress, yes dress…this and those photos will appeal to men, but makes the women come more visual to the space..if you know what I mean. Women will pump up the style and fire..end note. I love creative loafing..been turning your pages for many moons…ps I got that black bra.
I am not ashamed of the human body. It is a beautiful thing. I even love drawing and painting human anatomy for my artwork however, I find it highly annoying when advertising becomes all about objectifying women from various forms of media. It sends the wrong messages to females and males in my opinions. Women get trapped like the person above in believing that she would have to “pump up the fire”. I am guessing in other words that would mean being extremely “sexy” looking which in has men thinking that all we as females are there for is their sexual fantasies. I hate that when I walk through almost any aisle in in a grocery store, my teenage sons are subjected to so much sexual imagery. We are raising a generation of non-thinkers who follow after some fantasy that media gurus and Hollywood are pushing. I think that the fantasy says something about us as North Americans. It tells me that all a man wants is summed up in a glossy photo of some airbrushed and photoshopped “sexy” body and that we as women should strive to be that image. To me it is a sad state that we as North Americans buy into this. Obviously it works on most of us or they wouldn’t use it. Too bad more of us won’t turn off our televisions and avoid the media fluff in trade of teaching our children the value of humanity is not held in how “sexy” we are but in using our minds and voices to change our world and yes even to have a fun night out occasionally.
in=then