The Concept of Sex Appeal and Its Influence on the Consumer free essay sample

More complex variables such as confidence and the personal interpretation of the individual’s beauty/attractiveness may give us more insight into the underlying psychological and sociological purchasing patterns of today’s consumer. The first hand research for this topic will be carried out with a questionnaire designed and created by the members of the group and thereafter each part will be worked on and analyzed mutually. Many question why sex appeal is used so frequently in advertising, never becoming an outdated phenomenon of the past like so many other techniques. The study of consumer behaviour is very much connected with the area of psychology. Few people know that when being subjected to advertising they may be influenced on a far greater scale then they could ever imagine. The first aspect which must be taken into consideration is sex. In our current modernized lives where survival is a word used less frequently, many forget about the urges humans have inherited over thousands of years. We will write a custom essay sample on The Concept of Sex Appeal and Its Influence on the Consumer or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Abraham Maslow’s diagram of the hierarchy of needs displays the ranking of necessities for human survival, â€Å"The basis of Maslows theory is that human beings are motivated by unsatisfied needs†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Anon, 2007) It is observed that once a human fulfills a need, he then progresses to the next level to ultimately strive to reach the last level which is self actualization. The first level deals with physiological needs which encompasses breathing, food, water, sleep, homeostasis, excretions and last but not least, sex. This drive that humans have, which plays a fundamental role in survival, can help justify why marketing experts use sex appeal as a vital part in advertising their products. With this valuable knowledge, advertising professionals are able to reach their target customers on a subconscious level. The use of sex can be compared to shock advertisements such as those in anti-smoking or obesity campaigns. In terms of marketing, all publicity can be beneficial to the company so the main objective is to shock. Kandarp Baxi, the accounts director for Chase advertising states the following about the use of sex appeal; â€Å"There is little that the product is offering that is different from others. When technological differentiation is neither noticeable nor long-lived, you need to improve the intangible experience. Put simply, the attempt is to position them to shock† (Seth, 2005). Studies have shown that sex in advertising can generate feelings of happiness, risk-taking and pleasure all desirable traits for the distributor of the product. During a study at Stanford University, a group of male students were asked to look at revealing sexual images of women and were then given money to gamble with on a random chance game. Either a dollar or a dime could be won, though the chance of winning was always the same. The men who had looked at provocative images were more likely to make greater financial risks then those who were shown neutral images (office supplies) or scary images (snakes and spiders) which generally risked less. Brian Knutson, a psychologist at Stanford expresses â€Å"its all about the power of emotion and arousal and our financial decisions†¦ What really matters is that the sexy woman is having an emotional impact. That bleeds over into your financial decisions. (Borenstein, 2008) I’m sure many have experienced the need to buy when they are unhappy. This materialism is more prominent in consumers with lower self esteem. People that do not feel positively about themselves are generally more insecure and therefore try to fill this emptiness in their lives with products. Sex appeal in advertising can negatively impact the consumer which lacks self confidence as the overly styled images of beautiful and sensual faces act as bait. The more unhappy one is, the more one will depend on products and buyable commodities to ease this self doubt. A study conducted by researchers from the university of Illinois and Minnesota stated that â€Å"By the time children reach early adolescence, and experience a decline in self-esteem, the stage is set for the use of material possessions as a coping strategy for feelings of low self-worth. (Sato, 2007). The article also explains that a lot in terms of societal happiness has changed over the past 50 years, â€Å"Yet as societies become richer, they do not become happier. In fact, the First World has more depression, more alcoholism and more crime than fifty years ago. † Along with the need to earn more to be able to consume more comes a range of problems which use the consumer as their prime target. Compulsive shopping is a disorder continuously affecting insecure consumers. This sickness was discovered by German psychiatrist, Emil Krapelin and is â€Å"characterised by an irresistible urge to buy items that are either unneeded or unwanted†¦most compulsive buyers are young women who spend excessive amounts on clothing, shoes and makeup. † (Andreasen Et. Al, 2006) Here one can identify that these affected have self low esteem as they are purchasing mass amounts of products that have been designed and created to increase the physical appearance of the consumer. It is assumed that between 1. and 2% of our population are affected by this disorder (Day, 1997) University of London psychologist Kevin Gourney found that â€Å"63 per cent of people with a shopping problem went on a spree when they felt depressed† (Day, 1997) When describing why most of compulsive shopping sufferers are women he blamed marketing strategies â€Å"They are also deluged with advertising for clothes, cosmetics and perfumes†. Andreasen. N, Black. D (2006) Intr oductory Textbook of Psychiatry, American Psychiatric Pub. Inc, pp. 360

MTV Effects essays

MTV Effects essays Music TV channels, broadcasting variety of programs ranging from ordinary music videos through charts, various shows to cartoons are the symptom of our times. No matter if it's MTV or VIVA, they sell very similar stuff, often cheap and shallow. The pop culture and consumption grasped the most powerful device that is television. It is used as a tool for spreading out information, ideas and appeals. Oftentimes they are silly and ridiculous, nevertheless they have enormous influence on people who watch it. Image has become the most widespread form of expressing ideas and for communication. It has been seeded in many people's minds. Colorful and quickly changing pictures surely affect human personality; it influences the way we behave, dress and exist. Young people tend do be and look like their VJ's from the TV screen. They wear in certain way, they cut their hair, pierce or tatoo their bodies, just because of their TV idols doing that. TV hosts become the role models to follow, they are gurus and authorities on almost every field of human life from fashion to ethics and morality. They sell some patterns of behavior that other people can consider weird or outrageous. Their ideas can be good and honorable as well as freak and dumb. TV creates an ideal of a 'perfect' woman and man with all the paraphernalia and pressure connected with it. Many young women (as they appear to be more susceptible to that tension) put themselves on diet, wear strange clothes etc. just to fit in the 'official' picture. People buy 'proper' brands of outfit, cosmetics and even food, they become the slaves of fashion, fashion that often is nothing but garbage glittering and shining on the surface but empty and dull inside. Tracks from the top of the charts, however stupid or unmusical-like they are, can be safe to be sold in millions of copies all over the world. Here comes another phenomena, music that used to be of ...

An economic analysis of the Bangladeshi economy

An economic analysis of the Bangladeshi economy Geography Bangladesh is situated in the Bay of Bengal in south Asia. It is bounded by India to the west and north; to the southeast, it borders Myanmar. It is mainly a low-lying floodplain. About one third the total area is deltaic and is prone to flooding in the rainy season from May through September. The river Ganga flows into the country from the northwest, while from the north enters the river Jamuna. Dhaka is the capital city and is near the point where those river systems meet. Hardwood forests are present in the Chittagong hill tracts. The vast river delta area is home to the dominant plains culture. The hilly areas of the northeast and southeast are occupied by much smaller tribal groups occurred mainly hilly regions of the southeast and many have strongly resisted control by the national government and the inhabitants pressure from Bangladeshis who move into and try to settle in their traditional areas. Demography Bangladesh is the most densely populated no island nation i n the world. With approximately 135 million inhabitants living in an area of 55,812 sq miles, there are about 2,233 persons per square mile. The mainstream of the population (98 percent) is Bengali, with 3 percent belonging to tribal and other non-Bengali groups. About 83 percent of the population is Muslim, 18 percent in Hindu. Urbanization is scheduled rapidly, and it is estimated that 33% of the population entering the manual labour force in the years to come will be a part of agriculture, though many will likely find other kinds of work in rural areas. The areas around Dhaka and Comilla are the most densely populated. Area: 147, 575 sq. km. Cities:  Capital–Dhaka .  Other cities–Chittagong, Khulna, Rajshahi. Terrain: Mostly flat alluvial plain, with hills around the northeast and southeast. People   Nationality:–Bangladeshi(s). Religions: Muslim 84%; Hindu 17%; Christian 0.3%, Buddhist 0.7%, others 0.2%. Languages: Bangla (official, which is also known as Bengali), English. Education:  62%. Work force (70.86 million):  Agriculture, forestry, and fisheries–63%; production–11%;mining and quarrying–0.2%.   . Bangladesh has a relatively young populace, where 0-25 age group comprise 65%, while 3% are 65 or older. The important tribal groups outside the Hill tract are the  Santhals and the  Garos. Also there are  Kaibartta,  Meitei,  Mundas,  Oraons, and  Zomiethnic groups.  Human trafficking  has been a everlasting problem in Bangladesh  and illegal immigration has been a cause of resistance with Burma and India. Health and education levels have lately improved as poverty levels have reduced. Bangladeshis mostly are rural, living on survival farming. Health problems abound, ranging from  water contamination, to  arsenic contamination of groundwater  and diseases including  malaria, typhoid. leptospirosis and  dengue Politics Bangladesh is a  united state  and  parliamentar y democracy.  Direct elections in which all  people, aged 18 or over, can vote are held once in five years for the  parliament  known as  Jativ Sangsad. The parliamentary building is known as the  Jatiyo Sangshad Bhaban. Currently the parliament has 345 members together with 45 retained seats for women, elected from single-member constituencies. Bangladesh is governed by a multi-party parliamentary system of government. Other ministers, state ministers and deputy ministers are selected by the Prime Minister. The PM nominates the cabinet members from the Parliament members and one-tenths of the total members are from outside of the Parliament.

Industrial society and native culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Industrial society and native culture - Essay Example With most of the industrial world following capitalist means of running their economies, the exploitation of natural resources in an unsustainable manner is the norm. However, an almost intuitive understanding of the manner in which nature functions enables native cultures to utilize natural resources in sustainable ways. The Brazilian Amazonian tribes follow methods of living that enable one to infer their respect for the environment. At first glance, the method of agriculture that they follow, slash and burn agriculture is done in a manner that the ecological balance of the area is not upset. Moreover, different plants are planted at different points of time, which not only ensures a constant supply of food but also efficient use of the soil’s fertility. This also provides the land an opportunity to replenish itself. The Yanomami is a tribe that follows these methods of farming to great effect. Initially, when the Europeans came to the Amazon, they were surprised at how the area was able to support the number of people that it did. This is possible because of the manner in which the Yanomami and other tribes in this area understand the ecology of the area and attempt to live in harmony with it (Hutchison 159-63, 2007). The needs of the present day Brazilian industrial society, is however, different. With a much greater population and corresponding needs, the Brazilian industrial society usually requires a greater yield than what slash and burn agriculture is able to provide. As a result, it has to follow scientific methods of agriculture that suit the needs of the urban populations of Brazil. A concerted effort in the past thirty years has enabled the Brazilian state to increase its agricultural production and achieve a food surplus (The Miracle, 2010). It has managed to surpass the problems that have plagued the management of environmental issues

Case Note for RvR Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Case Note for RvR - Essay Example t could constitute â€Å"unlawful sexual intercourse†, as defined under Section 1(1) of the Sexual Offences Act of 1956 (4) The wife’s marital consent to intercourse had not been revoked, either by a Court order or by an agreement between the parties. As a result, the question that arose in these circumstances was whether, despite her refusal to consent, the wife could have been held to have consented by the fact of the marriage. 4. The trial judge’s directions to the Jury stated that there appeared to be ample grounds to indicate that consent to sexual intercourse had been withdrawn by an agreement between the parties. Firstly, the parties were not cohabiting. Secondly, the husband’s act in phoning his wife and telling her he intended to see about a divorce constituted implicit consent. On this basis, the prosecution could prove a charge of rape or attempted rape against the husband. 5. The first fact is not material to the disputed issue of rape. The second fact, i.e, defendant had mentioned his intent to seek a divorce, is a relevant and material fact, because it revokes by implied mutual agreement, the consent to sexual intercourse that is imposed by marriage and spelt out under Hale’s common law rule. Hence, it establishes that the husband’s act constituted rape. It also establishes that he is not eligible for immunity under Hale’s rule. The third fact is also material and relevant, because it establishes the second ground of bodily assault. 6. The marital exemption itself refers to the common law rule wherein upon marriage, an assumption is made that the wife consents to sexual intercourse with her husband. This presumption may however be rebutted by evidence that the wife did not in fact, consent. To enforce this rebuttal, some exceptions have been established, when a wife can say no, such as when her health is in danger or when the man’s actions constitute assault. These and other exceptions have been spelt out by case precedent

The Biological Basis of Language Development Essay -- Health Medicine

The Biological Basis of Language Development "The principles and rules of grammar are the means by which the forms of language are made to correspond with the universal froms of thought....The structures of every sentence is a lesson in logic." BIOLOGICAL BASIS OF LANGUAGE "[H]uman knowledge is organized de facto by linguistic competence through language performance, and our exploration of reality is always mediated by language" (Danchin 29). Most higher vertebrates possess ‘intuitive knowledge’ which occurs as the result of slow evolution of species. However, the ability to create knowledge through language is unique to humans. According to Benjamin Whorf, "language†¦. is not merely a reproducing instrument from voicing ideas but rather is itself the shaper of ideas†¦. We dissect nature along lines laid down by language" (Joseph 249). In addition, the development and acquisition of language seems to be related to "complex sequential processing, and the ability to form concepts and to classify a single stimulus in a multiple manner" (Joseph 178). Antione Danchin suggests that the knowledge we create through language allows us distinguish ourselves from the rest of the world to produce models of reality, which become more and more adequate due to the "self-referent loop" which enables us to understand ourselves as objects under study. This "path from subject to object," which is common to all humans, Danchin claims, suggests the existence of a universal feature of language (29). Biological foundation of language may contribute significantly to such universality. The issue here is not whether language is innate, for, clearly, language must be learned. Nor is the issue whether the aptitude for learning a la... ...guage. Vol 58(2) 265-326, Jun 1997.    Modgil, Sohan and Celia Modgil. Noam Chomsky: Consensus and Controversy. New York: The Falmer Press, 1987. Persson, Inga-Britt. Connectionism, language production and adult aphasia: elaboration of a connectionist framework for lexical processing and a hypothesis of agrammatic aphasia. Helsinki, Finland: Societas Scientiarum Fennica, 1995. Schachter, Jacquelyn. Some semantic prerequisites for a model of language. Brain & Language. Vol 3(2) 292-304, Apr 1976. Schnitzer, Marc L. Toward a neurolinguistic theory of language. Brain & Language. Vol 6(3) 342-361, Nov 1978.    Skinner, B. F. Verbal behavior. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1970. Vocate, Donna R. The Theory of A.R. Luria: Functions of Spoken Language in the Development of Higher Mental Process. Hillsdale[NJ]: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., 1987.

Medea: power of women a mythological context

Medea is the sorceress born to King Aeetes of Colchis and is said to be the granddaughter of Helios the god of Sun. Jason sought the golden ram’s fleece belonging to Aeetes’, in the process of earning the same as per conditions laid down by the King, Medea fell in love with Jason and assisted him in obtaining the fleece through her magical powers on the conditions that he married her. On obtaining the fleece, Jason fled the Kingdom with Medea and Absyrtis, her younger brother. To prevent Aeetes, from successfully pursuing them, Medea killed her younger brother and scattered his body in pieces so that her father’s men had to perforce stop to collect the pieces and give a decent burial to Absyrtis. The couple then settled in Corinth and Medea bore two sons to Jason. When Jason decided to marry the daughter of the king of Corinth, Creon, and Medea killed her as well as her own children borne from Jason to spite him in the harshest possible way. After the killing she took refuge with Aegeus, the king of Athens and bore him a son Medus, but finally failed in killing the elder son of Aegeus, thereby again having to flee from her husband. Medus later became the king of Media. The mythological tale of Medea provides a perspective of the role of women in Greek society and their pursuit to break away from a life given to serving the needs of men be it in the role of the daughter, sister, wife or mother. Viewing Greek Gender Role through the myth of Medea Medea’s struggle is that of a mythological woman in ancient times attempting to take control of her own life through a series of personal as well as public travails. The irony lies in it denoting, that to gain influence in society a woman has to be a force of evil, a sorceress with super natural powers granted as an exception rather than an emancipated position for all women folk. Medea thus embodies the opposite of the traditional gender role for women in Greek society rejecting the status quo, the stereo type of women being powerless and having to do the bidding of their male relatives and ultimately rules made by society for them. The traditional role granted to Greek women in mythology is that of a, â€Å"helper maiden† (Clauss and Iles (Ed), 1997, 13).   Some other views of gender roles indicate that women had a passive, domestic, emotional and somewhat irrational role to play while the male function was indicated as being active, reasonable, and rational and representing the public face. Medea attempts to carve an independent role not just for herself but for Greek women as a whole, however she is perhaps one of the few exceptions of her times and other women are unable to support her personal conviction. In assuming an independent role for herself, Medea highlights to Jason that had he perhaps told her about his intent of second marriage, things would have been different, though Jason naturally scoffs at this suggestion of hers as, â€Å"Oh yes, if I'd told you of the wedding, I'm sure you would have lent me fine support. Even now you can't stand to set aside that huge rage in your heart.† (Johnston, Nd) Medea highlights her fierce independence by rejecting the second non consensual marriage of Jason and also his offer to provide for her if she can only request him for help. She totally refuses to plead him, despite his generous offer, as Jason states, â€Å"All right, but I call the gods to witness I'm willing to help you and the children. But you reject my goods and stubbornly push away your friends, and that the reason you suffer still more pain.† (Johnston, Nd) Medea in relation to Peers Medea’s attempt to review the role of women has been epitomized in the struggle against the stereo type, feminine role in Greek mythology. This role confined women to being a wife, a bearer of children and one who continues to be miserable both before and after matrimony. Unlike other women, who perhaps accept their fate, Medea laments that, â€Å"First, we need a husband, someone we get for an excessive price. He then becomes the ruler of our bodies. ___ For a divorce loses women all respect, yet we can't refuse to take a husband. __ But if the marriage doesn't work, then death is much to be preferred. ___ We women have to look at just one man.† (Johnston, Nd) Medea detests the role of the female as a womb for the children of her husband; however she assumed these thoughts only after she has been scorned by her husband who has taken another women. She represents a women scorned, thus, â€Å"In other things a woman may be timid—in watching battles or seeing steel, but when she's hurt in love, her marriage violated, there's no heart more desperate for blood than hers.† (Johnston, Nd) But then women in Greek society are not supposed to complain against such injustice. And her lament bore no fruit as in the classical Greek tradition, the women who rebels is expelled from society, thus Creon says, â€Å"You there, Medea, scowling in anger against your husband. I'm ordering you out of Corinth. You must go into exile, and take those two children of yours with you.† (Johnston, Nd) To Medea this is dual injustice as she has lost her husband to another woman and for protesting has been expelled from Corinth. Women in Corinth as the King told Medea had to suffer in silence. They had to be redeemed by bearing children for their husbands, through charity, sober behavior and faith. This very lucidly highlights the Greek view that women have no right to protest in case their husband has abandoned them and have to suffer in solitude. The key issue is thus lack of choice to women while not for men. Medea however succeeds in gaining power through her role as a sorceress. Thus by her knowledge of herbs and health potions, she is able to gain control of her adversaries as well as her loved ones. These potions have power to heal, denoted as magic in mythology. This is one element of power which has been invariably granted to women in Greece, given their greater knowledge of the value and utility of different types of herbs. Another allusion to the power of women expressed by being a sorceress is Medea’s killings, first her brother, than Jason’s second wife and her own children. The power of causing death which is a negative influence is generally seen to be granted to the male in Greek mythology through his ability to wage war and victory. Medea aspires to and gains this power through her facility with potions, causing death with equanimity. This is the power of evil, so be it feels the scorned women, for perhaps in ancient Greece that is the only power that women could aspire for. By assuming an active role in each of her joint encounters with Jason, whether it is in assisting him in gaining hold of the golden ram’s fleece, getting away from her father, seeking a second marriage or in getting her son Medus a say in the kingdom of Athens, it is the active role played by Medea, rather than normal passivity which is associated with women in Greece which is significant. Medea is so dominantly active, that she even gives an impression to Jason that in case he had sought her consent to marry a second time; she would have perhaps accorded him the same. This active position is undertaken through the path of evil, as a sorceress.   This was perhaps natural given the times in which Medea lived, representing exception rather than the aspirations of a large proportion of her gender who were perhaps satisfied to remain within the confines of the traditional role granted to them by society of looking after the home and hearth. This route of evil to gain power as a woman may be faulted but perhaps it has to be placed in the context of Medea as a woman having no other option in ancient Greece. Reference 1. Johnston, Ian. (Translation). No Date (Nd). Euripides Medea. http://www.mala.bc.ca/~johnstoi/euripides/medea.htm 2.Clauss, James J. Johnston, Sarah Iles. Eds. 1997. Medea: Essays on Medea in Myth, Literature, Philosophy and Art. Princeton. Princeton University Press. 3. Foley, Helene P. 2002. Female Acts in Greek Tragedy. Princeton. Princeton University Press. ; ;