Are sex appeals acceptable?

Sex appeals are increasingly considered controversial, unnecessary or inappropriate. The negative impact of using sex and the connotations implied relating to gender, objectification, and inequality are causing more and more marketers to rethink this particular appeal. There are also attempts by both organisations and consumers to challenge and resist these messages. For example, Dove’s ‘Real Beauty’ campaign was developed precisely as a response to the unachievable images used in the beauty industry. Instead, it employs an ‘everyday persona’ approach to celebrate ‘real’ women with various body shapes and sizes. The ethics of sexualised images in marketing communications are further discussed in Section 7.1.