I can't remember where I heard this but both of those ads just go to show that it's not "sex" that sells; it's womens bodies that are selling sex and thus the product.

And isn't tom ford the designer who was on the cover of Vanity Fair fully clothed with a naked Keira Knightly and Scarlet Johanson? Go figure...

Now that's just asinine.

I'm not sure if the Axe "use our product and women will come out of woodwork begging to have sex with you" approach makes any more sense than this, though.

This is so absurd.
I, for one, fail to see how this actually makes any statement about the product in question.

I mean, it's not as if buying the scent will provide you with a free Naked Lady, as some sort of weird promotional thing.

There's just some sort of disconnect between this ad and reality.

Though I guess that's not unusual.

NOW I get the chance to quote the very prescient and very dead Texan comic Bill Hicks regarding the perfect TV ad:

"At the start, it's just a beautiful woman's face. The camera pans out a bit, and we can see that she is most definitely topless. The camera pans back more, and we see that she is lying naked, legs spread, with two fingers placed on her more private parts. The slogan: DRINK COKE!"

Tom Ford? Ehh, doesn't surprise me. I don't take anything serious from a man who says“If sluttiness is what you like, what’s wrong with that? Why do we think being a slut’s bad? Sluttiness is just a lot of freedom.�

The wide open mouth bothers me more than anything else.
Looks like a Real Doll.

Well, not necessarily a Real Doll but a blow-up doll.

Wow, talk about objectification of women.

It's sad that that's what sells products. It will be a great day when famous women scientists and authors are what caputures people's attention, not random boobs.

I, for one, fail to see how this actually makes any statement about the product in question.
Seriously? The statement's hitting me right in the face, so to speak. The product is virile and dominating. The model is engaging in a very submissive sex act. She's lubed up, for crying out loud, she's stimulating the bottle in a way that does not reciprocally stimulate her, and she's ready to accept the bottle's issuance into her mouth. It's pretty blatant to me.

Ah, pornfaces...

Seriously, though, it really does look like they've taken a badly cropped picture from a porn film mid-scene and photoshopped the bottle over the guy's private parts.

I mean, even if sexy sells, that's not sexy. It's just... cheap looking.

I couldn't help but think of this Web site when I saw that ad on Jezebel this morning: http://www.genderads.com/ I recommend it to all.

As for those Axe ads, I want to spit in the producer's face every time I see one. Sounds pretty bad, I know, but I can't help myself. To me the message is, "Women are our sex toys. If you are a like-minded pig, then support us and we'll continue to run these repulsive ads for your pleasure."

Very good points in the comments above...It probably smells like old spice.

I think there's nothing more sophisticated going on with this advert than, 'We think men will look at tits'

Which doesn't give either sex much credit.

Bowleserised, Can you explain? There are definitely multiple symbolisms here, but in what ways does is it decredit each sex?

I hate Tom Ford. He regularly depicts women as objects. This time, he reduced a women to surgically enlarged breasts and an open mouth. He whitened Scarlet Johansson and Kiera Knightly until they looked like china dolls.

Now, I don't accept some straight guy depicting women as sex toys for purchase; but at least that would admit of the excuse that the guy's erotic map was completely shaped by patriarchy and he's too thich to examine why those images resonate with him.

Tom Ford is gay. He can't just say, "well, I show women in the way that turns me on." Instead, he has made a conscious choice to replicate patriarchy and specifically the sexual consumption of female bodies.

Why? Because he has made a clear decision in how to market to men: entitlement. Think you deserve to use women as objects? Want to feel powerful the relate to others as peons? Want to reaffirm your status at the top of the hierarchy with every purchase? Tom Ford is the product line for you!

this ad is just fucking skanky. I am not against nudity or the female form. But seriously, have a little class.

PS. those boobs look gross.

Ok, so is it an add for a scent, or a public service announcement:

"WARNING! USE OF THIS PRODUCT WILL CAUSE LOCKJAW AND LOSS OF NIPPLES!"

Believe it or not, this one might just be worse.

Ah, the sex and violence double whammy.

Oops. Link didn't work.

http://jezebel.com/gossip/ad-libs/funny-or-offensive-281547.php?mail2=true

Oh for god's sake. At first glance, I expected this to be a perfume for women, seeing as the only person in the picture is a woman. But no. The woman is just backdrop for the product.

The above ad brings airbruching to dizzying new heights...

@acadiawave, that ad on your link is not a real ad, it is a modified burger king ad, which is stupid, but not sexual.

Ah, good to know. Thanks for the correction Andrew.

Perhaps the ad is just informative. Does the cologne smell like jizz?

Why is every cologne ad about women taking their clothes off for men who smell good?

Why is every cologne ad about women taking their clothes off for men who smell good?

Because women have a scientifically proven panty-dropping reflex triggered by our olifactory sense. Duh!

And she has her mouth open too..."If you buy our colonge, women will get naked and give you blow jobs." I hate ads like this.

And she has her mouth open too..."If you buy our colonge, women will get naked and give you blow jobs." I hate ads like this.

Jesus! Am I the only one that read violence in the orientation and pose in the picture that you linked to?

Neither of these ads are remotely aesthetically attractive, even discounting their obvious sexism.

I agree with bunny... it's not sexy, it's cheap looking.

That's about the shape my mouth is in when a guy (or gal) walks by wearing assaulting amounts of perfume, axe, or other such chemical stench-cloud-forming substance. Only I'm gasping for fresh air and thinking mean evil thoughts.

I think it would be just as offensive but slightly more accurate if they were using sex to sell plain ol' soap and water. But I think the target audience (people who are stupid enough to think that these products are a necessary addition to, or even a desirable substitute for, regular bathing) would be about the same.

Agree with above: trashy, cheap, blow-up doll, and insulting to men AND women.

Itsnotfluff – Because Tom Ford is basically saying:

women = tits
men = things that are only interested in looking at tits.

"Tom Ford? Ehh, doesn't surprise me. I don't take anything serious from a man who says“If sluttiness is what you like, what’s wrong with that?"

Well, what is wrong with that?

I'm surprised people can still get so worked up by this sort of thing and after reading all your comments I still dont understand. Okay, there is in this ad a naked lady, slightly oily, lying down, mouth open with perfume between her breasts. Not necessarily the sort of image that appeals to me as a buyer of perfume, but I'm not their prime target market. Nobody is surprised that sex sells. Men see that and they're not going to consciously think "if i buy this perfume i will have sex with this lady or a lady who is similarly hot" but at the same time this man probably enjoys looking at hot naked ladies and it makes him feel a certain way towards the product.

I once saw a fantastic ad for the body shop in a gay area with a semi-naked, oily, tanned man with a bottle of fake tan down his pants and the slogan 'fake it'. Is this exploitation of men by other men? Or is it maybe that that's the way some men's minds work and people who want to make money from them know how exploit that?

Another thing I don't understand is how people seem so convinced that ad is objectifying women. Who (even in the world of advertising) thinks that this image means every woman in the world should be like that. But then who out there wants to say that there are NO women in the world like that. Okay, maybe there are only a few women who look like that, but I'm more talking about acting like the girl in the photo. People seem to be making an alarming connection between this ad and violence towards women. I don't understand why it's so hard to believe a woman might find herself in this 'submissive' position of her own volition. If you enjoy sex in the missionary position, pushing together your own breasts with your mouth suggestively open as if you're imminently going to be giving someone a blow job, does that mean you have no respect for yourself? Does the woman in this picture look as if anyone is forcing her to be in this position? Is there even a suggestion that this picture is about violence? Then PLEASE do not make that connection. Because it's insulting to men, women, feminists (especially) and victims of violence. Does anyone really believe a normal man is going to look at this ad and think it's ok to committ an act of violence against women? If not, please be careful what you're saying with regards to this ad suggesting sex and violence go together.

I'm surprised people can still get so worked up by this sort of thing and after reading all your comments I still dont understand. Okay, there is in this ad a naked lady, slightly oily, lying down, mouth open with perfume between her breasts. Not necessarily the sort of image that appeals to me as a buyer of perfume, but I'm not their prime target market. Nobody is surprised that sex sells. Men see that and they're not going to consciously think "if i buy this perfume i will have sex with this lady or a lady who is similarly hot" but at the same time this man probably enjoys looking at hot naked ladies and it makes him feel a certain way towards the product.

I once saw a fantastic ad for the body shop in a gay area with a semi-naked, oily, tanned man with a bottle of fake tan down his pants and the slogan 'fake it'. Is this exploitation of men by other men? Or is it maybe that that's the way some men's minds work and people who want to make money from them know how exploit that?

Another thing I don't understand is how people seem so convinced that ad is objectifying women. Who (even in the world of advertising) thinks that this image means every woman in the world should be like that. But then who out there wants to say that there are NO women in the world like that. Okay, maybe there are only a few women who look like that, but I'm more talking about acting like the girl in the photo. People seem to be making an alarming connection between this ad and violence towards women. I don't understand why it's so hard to believe a woman might find herself in this 'submissive' position of her own volition. If you enjoy sex in the missionary position, pushing together your own breasts with your mouth suggestively open as if you're imminently going to be giving someone a blow job, does that mean you have no respect for yourself? Does the woman in this picture look as if anyone is forcing her to be in this position? Is there even a suggestion that this picture is about violence? Then PLEASE do not make that connection. Because it's insulting to men, women, feminists (especially) and victims of violence. Does anyone really believe a normal man is going to look at this ad and think it's ok to committ an act of violence against women? If not, please be careful what you're saying with regards to this ad suggesting sex and violence go together.

Tasteless, too greasy, not esthetic, definately on the vulgar side - but by no means violent. In spite of the tacky presentation, the woman in Ford's perfume campaign are no victims, they are sexually agressive. I definately do not like the poster and I am amazed how an intelligent and openly bi/gay designer does not have a more differenciated view on beauty and the body. Maybe the huge amounts of Botox he uses on his forehead found it's way to the brain... What to do...

Tasteless, too greasy, not esthetic, definately on the vulgar side - but by no means violent. In spite of the tacky presentation, the woman in Ford's perfume campaign are no victims, they are sexually agressive. I definately do not like the poster and I am amazed how an intelligent and openly bi/gay designer does not have a more differenciated view on beauty and the body. Maybe the huge amounts of Botox he uses on his forehead found it's way to the brain... What to do...