Usually, sexism is found in older commercials, but, this is proof that sexism in media is far from gone. In this recent BMW commercial, the company uses this attractive woman who is laying down (presumably naked) and flirtatiously staring at the camera as the main picture for the commercial. Not once did this poster mention anything that it is advertising. This poster has a small, white box in the lower, right-hand corner with microscopic writing that reads: "BMW Premium Selection, Used Cars." If it wasn't for the BMW logo in the corner, one would never know what this poster is an advertisement for used cars. If the un recognizable product wasn't enough, there is the small subtext that is near the woman's chin. It says "You know your not the first." This statement is implying, both, that the woman has had more than one husband, boyfriend, or tryst in her lifetime, because, when you look at her, "you know that you are not the first". This also translate to: these cars have been used, therefore, they have been driven already. And this woman has also been used, therefore she too has been (insert dirty joke here _______). This advertisement is encouraging men to buy these used cars by pasting an attractive woman's face on their poster. This disempowers the woman by making her look like more of a sexual object than just a regular person ,which here, is portrayed by the pose she is in. It is also comparing her to a car which symbolizes her to be even more of an object. Probably the worst thing though, is the fact that they are implying that since she is so attractive, she must have had more than one lover.
Sexism is definitely not far from over in advertisement. It is still very much part of our current culture. Now, instead of disempowering women by saying they aren't intelligent or strong or that they should be cooking/cleaning, our society disempowers women by using them as sexual objects. This is a perfect example of that. You barely know what they are advertising for! And it's horrible that they are implying that not only because this woman is attractive she has had sex with multiple partners, but they are implying that once a woman has had sex, she is "used". And as far as "used" things go, cars as an example, they are worth less. So this commercial is implying that this woman has lost her worth because she has had sex. Ugh.
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