Using Sex To Sell Movies

The results of the content analysis of movie trailers featured in Chapter two were interesting. Although we are all aware of the sexual content that is used in advertisements and movie previews to help sell the product and recruit viewers, it is the over representation of female characters used that is shocking.

The findings of the content analysis showed that among the all-male trailers that features sexual portrayals, none of the sexual portrayals focused on the male characters only. All of the sexual scenes in the trailers featured both genders or females only. I found it surprising that the females that were sexually portrayed could not be coded as characters by the coding scheme because they either never spoke during the trailer or were shown in fewer than three scenes. That goes to show you that females are not needed to add intrigue to the trailer through dialogue, only needed to represent sex and sexual imagery.

I also found it surprising that of the "young adult" age group, approximately three fourths of all young adult females were portrayed as sexual. It seems that from these findings it is apparent that females ARE the "object of gaze". Lin, as quoted by Lambiase in this chapter, says that "women are in the vanguard of prime time television's attempt to use sex for selling products in the U.S." I believe this to be very true.

Also important was the suggestion that these sexual images may run the risk of offending or alienating female viewers. It could also be harmful if these sexual instances continue to lack intimacy or romance (Sex in Consumer Culture 27). I agree with the authors when they state that movie trailers may not seem to be selling a general sense of sexuality, but rather female sexuality.