Sex appeals increasingly used to sell plastic surgery

Want to look and feel sexier? Consider plastic surgery.

According to a recent study published in 2011, this is the message physicians are increasingly using to promote cosmetic surgery. In fact, some of the most invasive procedures--breast augmentation and liposuction-- are more likely to include sex appeals compared to noninvasive procedures. The lead author and primary contributor was University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill professor Heidi Hennink-Kaminski. The study appeared in the journal Sexuality & Culture. I know this study fairly well because I am a coauthor.

Dr. Hennink-Kaminski trained coders to examine 2,400 cosmetic surgery ads in big-market city magazines published over a 20 year period; from 1986 to 2007. Overall, 20% of the ads contained a sexual appeal but three times as many sexual ads appeared in the second decade (1997-2007).

Sexual appeals are more likely to emphasize the sexual enhancement of one's self-esteem (e.g., "feel sexier"). A little over a third of sexual appeals emphasize enhanced sexual attractiveness, and about 10% of ads make the claim, either implicitly or explicitly, that increased sexual behavior is an outcome of cosmetic surgery (e.g., "more sex/better sex").

It should come as no surprise that women--many of them partially dressed or naked--appear in 97% of the sexual ads. Given the target audience these ads are not designed to promote sexual arousal but are designed to serve as aspirational and instructional, with sexual behavior and feelings used as reasons for considering a cosmetic procedure.

There are plenty of implications. For one, should an emotion-based appeal such as sex be used to sell surgery? Doing so certainly violates norms within the medical community that advertising should be limited to information about the practice, not compelling emotional benefits. Please comment about implications you feel are important.

Sexually-enticing True.com banner ads may boost CTR

A recent banner ad for a legitimate online dating service appears to promise salacious images of local singles. As visible in the accompanying ad, the True.com banner features a visual of an attractive woman on her back looking suggestively at he viewer. Simply click to see more.

True.com positions itself as an "online relationship service" that offers a safer and more secure matchmaking experience. The company promises to prosecute married members or convicted criminals. In addition, True.com boasts proprietary software designed to enhance matchmaking success. However, none of these features are promoted recent online True.com ads. What is the selling point?: The opportunity to look at sexy women in your town.

A 2004 article in Nature Neurosicence adds credence to True.com's approach. The researchers found with the help of MRI that men are much more "interested in and responsive to visual sexually arousing stimuli than are women." The researchers attribute the response to men's highly activated amygdala response. In short, visual stimuli plays a large role in men's sexual behavior.

Safety? Proprietary research? All fine, but the allure of "appetitive and biologically salient stimuli" is sure to boost click-through-rates in this and similar banner ads for dating services.


Hamann, Stephan, Rebecca Herman, Carla Nolan, and Kim Wallen (2004). Men and women differ in amygdala response to visual sexual stimuli, Nature Neuroscience, 7, 411-416.

Getting cozy with Mack's earplugs

A recent ad in Newsweek visually touts a sex-related benefit of earplugs: Earplugs bring you "together." "Mack's Earplugs saved our marriage." Hence the appeal, "by this, get this..." Jacque Lambiase and I have been writing about the use of sex as a brand promise. When using this approach, only about 20% of the time do advertisers explicit state that sex is an outcome. More often, like in the Mack's ad, they use an interplay between headline and visual to get the meaning across. Using sex to sell audio inhibitors is an original. If you've seen something similar, us know.

Post's Shredded Wheat is sexually satisfying (?)

A fairly common assumption is that sex is used to sell sex-related products, right? Like perfume, clothing, or even jewelry.

But cereal?

My eyes did a double flip at the new campaign for Post’s Shredded Wheat. I have to admit, sex is not the first thing that comes to mind with thinking about healthy, fibrous cereal.

Satisfy those urges
Post is obviously seeking to empower women by saying “you don’t need men to satisfy your urges,” whatever those urges may be. The ads use sex appeal in reverse by saying that women don’t need sex to feel satisfied, they can get satisfied with a bowl of wheat. The ads portray that idea by depicting a woman, dressed in lingerie-inspired red satin ensembles, posed in a demure position with a bowl of Post Shredded Wheat. She looks directly into the camera, making a definite connection with the viewer. The woman and the cereal are the primary focus of the ad.

In the background, almost blending in to the scenery is a passive man either sleeping or paying the woman little attention. The copy reads “What satisfies a hungry woman?” Using sex appeal with a cereal is not the obvious route, but as Post demonstrates here, it undoubtedly makes for an attention grabbing ad.

The tagline does a great job of focusing on the product benefits in a creative and attention grabbing way proving that sex in advertising has now reached new territory; the cereal aisle.

--Posted by Erica Goss