Since the dawn of time one can argue our brains have been wired to prioritize three important things: shelter, food, and reproduction (a.k.a sex). As a result, it is no surprise that sex seems to seep into every aspects of our lives especially advertisement. We are all familiar with the phrase “sex sells,” implying that in order too captivate an audience’s attention some kind of sexual innuendo is needed. This may come as a surprise for most seeing as our society has normalized these images and phrases which are often seen in advertisements, specifically those geared towards selling food. However, within the book The Sexual Politics Of Meat author Carol J. Adams demonstrates the dangers associated with sexualizing animals and dehumanizing women.
Adams argues that due to a toxic cycle of objectification, fragmentation, and consumption a link between butchering and sexual violence has formed within our society. In particular, “objectification permits an oppressor to view another being as an object. The oppressor then violates this being by object-like treatment” (Adams 13). Thus, the process is closely followed by fragmentation (also known as brutal dismemberment) and lastly consumption. While meat advertisements sexualizing animals have been around for decades it seems to have become more widespread and explicit over the years.
This bumper sticker show just that. The Deer is no longer a living being that appreciates its life, but rather has become what Adams refers to as an anthropornography. An Anthropornography describes “animals… as sexually consumable, in a way that upholds the sexual exploitation of women” (Adams 14). Therefore, it looks as though the deer is “begging” to be consumed like the woman within the image is “begging” to be slept with. Taking the responsibility away from the hunter seeing as the deer basically through themselves at their murderer.
The following image depicts the privilege attached to killing and eating nonhuman animals. Within our consumer culture images such as this billboard, “reinforce privilege by defining who is the consumer and who is the consumed… The feminized animal is the animal who is violable, able to be marked upon, the domesticated animals who become ‘meat'” (Adams 15-16). When looking at this all white billboard and thinking of privilege it is obvious the designer had white heterosexual men in mind. And while a sexualized cartoon character of a pig may not be on the poster board the word pork itself is symbolic. This is due to the fact that pigs are often depicted as slutty white women or white trash, referring to the fact that these pigs would not charge for sex and are quite available.
While most of these images may seem normal to the general population, in reality advertisements are largely structured by and for white males. The following photo debits a white women giving birth in order to announce the fact that this particular food company delivers food now. By comparing the burger to a new born child the audience is practically slapped in the face with the reality that prior to that ground beef being “someone’s fun, it was someone’s life” (Kemmerer). Reminding us that women, people of color, and animals will always be viewed as second class citizen in comparison to heterosexual white men. Thus, It is important to note that the “doctor” delivering the burger is a white man. Adams claims that this is no accident seeing as white males carry an “image closely associated with ‘advanced civilization” (Kemmerer). She continues this thought by expressing how distracting and incomplete it would be if a women or person of color were in a position of such power making the whole advertisement look off.
Lastly, I wanted to end with this very provocative image. This is a perfect example of the racial component Adams discusses within her book. In particular the author describes African American women “more likely be linked with animals and nature, available to white men, and insatiable” (Kemmerer). As a result, the white half of the image showcases the white mans hold on the African American woman. It also debits this idea that the woman wants to be penetrated again reinforcing rape culture. This is due to the fact that image is implying that not only is the woman enjoying being penetrated (exhibit A: her seductive smile), but also that she is asking for it (exhibit B: her sexual position). It is important to not that the only way we will be able to end both the killing and sexualization of animals, as well as the dehumanization of women is by separating the too and granting both beings their own platform displaying how important they both are.
Sources:
https://philosophynow.org/issues/56/The_Pornography_of_Meat_by_Carol_Adams
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/54792ff7e4b0674c74cb719d/t/55dc8dace4b0ad76d7277cb7/1440517548517/ANTENNAE+ISSUE+14.pdf
I also chose the first picture you chose of the bumper sticker saying, “I like deer, like I like my women, HONRY!” I thought this bumper sticker was outrageous and I would probably flip a middle finger to whatever tool was driving the truck with that sticker on it. (I am assuming the man driving would be a hunter driving an old chevy or something like that) I totally agree with what you say about the fact that “sex sells.” It is more often than not we see some kind of sexualization of an object or animal in advertisements. These kinds of ads are used quite successfully I assume in order to draw in the attention of consumers. I am sure the number of male consumers rises when the ad continues “sexy” women or some kind of sexual reference. This bumper sticker is objectifying both deers (nonhuman animals) as well as women. It is basically saying the very false but assumed statement by men that the deer wanted it, just like women wanted it. Yet in reality no the deer wanted to continue living and the women most likely did not want an ignorant man especially with a bumper sticker like that one!! I think the image of the billboard you chose is also ridiculous as well. “THE OTHER WHITE MEAT?” Clearly whoever created this was referring to WOMEN as the initial white meat. Therefore we can infer that the consumables are the pig(pork) and women and the consumers are likely straight, white men. I thought the third image you chose was a real kicker… a doctor delivering a BURGER?! This makes me question if men think women are only good for reproducing or if women are simply just pieces of meat as well and therefore would give birth to more meat. I get the irony that the woman is delivering a burger and the company is now delivering food but COME ON. I actually do not want to imagine someone giving birth while I am eating food. I enjoyed the last picture you chose, I think it ties in very nicely to the theme of sexualizing food. We see a beautiful woman smiling and posing, I am assuming naked under that chocolate, attached to a stick of ice cream. This can bring us to the point once again that women are so often the ones being consumed in society. If it is not animals being objectified it is women.
Hi Angela, as always you have some great thoughts, you’re very good at articulating the message you’re trying to get across, so props on that. I loved that you brought the concept of ‘sex sells’ into the conversation. I think this has been so normalized within our society, that it’s weird when people don’t use this concept to sell something. Whether that be food, cars or even music albums, we are constantly seeing people use a woman’s body to sell things. Unfortunately, in our current society I think people would have a hard time selling things if they didn’t use ‘sex’. Kind of sad if you think about it, this is really what we’ve come to. I think you’re right when you say, “While meat advertisements sexualizing animals have been around for decades it seems to have become more widespread and explicit over the years”, this has got to have something to do with social media and the unlimited access to the internet that people now have. There are tons of communities of people online that start from just one person’s idea. Next thing you know an idea/aspect becomes viral. I think there is an insanely large community of white males/consumers that have constant access to each other on the internet to keep these ridiculous concepts a normalized thing within our society. When you go on to discuss how these kinds of advertisements are catered towards white males, can’t say I was shocked. In the collection of Carol Adams’ photos I think there was only one male of color that was clearly involved in the objectification of both women and animals. All of this just adds to the mound of evidence that we continue to live in a very patriarchal controlled society. I wonder, how do you think this can be fixed? Do you think it even can be? Thanks for the post this week!!
I really enjoyed how you explained the first image. That essentially the advertiser is trying to get the male to feel that the deer and women are one in the same. The advertisement makes me feel that it is trying to say eat deer and women will throw themselves at you. This kind of advertising has become too common and is generally looked at with out another thought. It is so common no one bats an eye about how insane it is to sell food with sex. It truly does show how numb our society has become to sexualizing pretty much everything. Trying to associate the product they are selling with something they know the consumer will very likely want.
Quick side note, the second image just makes me think of turkey because Thanksgiving I grew up only wanting the legs/ the dark meat, so that statement the other white meat just makes me think of how I did not like the dry white meat of the turkey.
The third image is honestly a disturbing one, I do not see how depicting an image of a women giving birth would make people want to buy their burgers. I enjoyed how you put advanced civilization in quotation marks, because it is the best way to say it. we are not an advanced civilization, we have not even realized what that means. Advanced civilization will only occur when we not only focus on order, but also chaos. we have pushed and pushed to move forward at any cost, not realizing that we are only pushing to our end. We have been so caught up in profits and consumerism, that humanity forgot what it is like to be human, to be an animal that we are. We do not question what it takes for a dog, cat, or monkey to survive. we do not like to think of ourselves as animals. We are animals, we are not separate from them because we can think differently from them and build complex tools. In truth I would say we are worse than them, because not only do we live way more destructively, but we have the ability to control the world and we use it like our own dumpster and resource, when we could be actually building harmony. The wild is constantly changing and though it does not seem that there is harmony, there is. Harmony is found in the fact that in constant change, life still continues. We as humans are not special nor advanced, and we never will be until we claim back femininity as well as balance it with our masculinity. When we learn to enjoy today and live for tomorrow, and not only all humans, but all life is considered, then we will be advanced.
The final image does definitely cater to whites. Besides the white background, the stick goes from a wood color to a more shaded white as it reaches the women. Why ice cream is related to sex at all, I do not understand. Clearly it is merely to try to associate men into thinking that the ice cream can get you laid or it tastes as good as sex feels. Either way, society as stood by and allowed capitalism and consumerism to take over and capitalism is inherently order. Our government needs to be chaos to counter it. Our economic system should be order, constantly working for today, but our government system needs to be chaos, constantly working for tomorrow.