For ages, we’ve known that men love women’s underwear ads. According to Crimson Hexagon, men partake in about one-third of the online conversation about the annual Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.
Advertisers understand that heterosexuality and hyper-sexualization in public figures are widely accepted by consumers because most consumers have been conditioned to believe that certain gender and sexual stereotypes are normal. In recent months, more and more male underwear ads with celebrities have surfaced. Advertisers realize the table can turn and sexualization of men (particularly celebrities) can be used to sell products.
From Nick Jonas to Justin Bieber to David Beckham, men’s underwear ads and photographs for print publications are becoming more prominent as a part of celebrity gossip. Just like women’s lingerie ads, men’s underwear ads are directed to an audience that will likely not wear the items. These advertisements are placed to acquire the heteronormative gaze, meaning that they are directed at capturing the attention of culturally “normal” male-female relationship participants.
For example, at my H&M back home, there were massive photos of David Beckham plastered on the exterior walls of the store. However, these photos were placed on the women’s side of the store in addition to the men’s. In this specific example, advertisers were clearly directing this ad at women because of the placement of the ad. Ironically, a Victoria’s Secret store with massive photos of Victoria’s Secret Angels was directly across from H&M and the Beckham photos. Both of these are examples of how heteronormativity and hyper-sexualization have been perpetuated through advertising.
Similar to how women’s breasts are sometimes depicted at unreasonably extreme levels, men’s abdominal muscles and, um, bulges are usually enhanced in the post-production of advertisements because they are the central focus of men’s underwear ads. These parts of the body are not just emphasized because they are covered by or near the garment being advertised; the torso and “private parts” of the body are often hyper-sexualized, which has become a common practice in all types of advertisements (not just in underwear ads).
Sexuality portrayed through advertisements allows people to be objectified because their bodies and sexuality are used to sell products. The ability of people to understand this type of media message is what’s important about this issue.
I’ll admit it, I freaked out a little bit when Nick Jonas’s photos for Flaunt Magazine came out because a) he was my childhood crush and b) he actually looked very good. But it’s also important to recognize that hyper-sexual male and female undergarment advertisements are a form of objectification. Even if these ads are enjoyable to look at and sell products, as consumers and human beings, it is critical for people to recognize the ways in which bodies are advertised and the types of standards that these bodies set.
Awareness of this issue surrounding advertising allows consumers to be conscious of the messages they are essentially supporting when they purchase items that promote objectification. This does not mean that people should not buy from stores that have hyper-sexual advertisements because, well, where would we be if we could not shop at some of the most common stores that use hyper-sexual advertisements? But at the least, consumers should be educated about the messages they are financially supporting.