Sex Sells

Sex sells

Anyone who has ever seen the film “Little Miss Sunshine” will know exactly what I mean when I refer to the point in the film where Olive performs the dance routine that her Grandpa Edwin had secretly choreographed for her appearance at the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant.

The audience is horrified to watch a prepubescent girl delivering a burlesque routine to the song “Super Freaky” by Rick James.
The judges are outraged as are the audience members! How could anyone train a small girl to do something as outrageous and inappropriate?
Joking aside I have a genuine question.

When exactly is it ok to use images of sexualised pre pubescent little girls to sell a product or products? Clearly the answer is – when we deny that is what is actually going on and pretend something else is happening.

Last week a man at a networking event publicly harangued me about my business. It is called Women’s Club. It’s no different to lots of other businesses which begin with the word “WOMEN”. The name simply helps us be clearly identified by our target market.
While I sell my product into a unique market I don’t operate in a vacuum.

He believes all women focused businesses and events limit the scope of his commercial reach on grounds of sex discrimination – an allegation that collapses under the slightest amount of scrutiny. It sounds more like he is having a shot at "running me off his turf" which is basically an attempt at restraint of trade.

The occupation of the person who decided to “share” his view with me is in Marketing and PR! Does he really think I will keep this to myself?

Basically for him it was the equivalent of a Gerald Ratner moment. I doubt he has realised that yet...but, all those of you who know this story will understand exactly what I mean in terms of the consequences he will experience.

Clearly sex does sell - but not in the way you thought this article was going to read I bet!