Differences In Advertising Men’s And Women’s Sexual Enhancers

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Think about the ads you’ve seen for Viagra. Then think about the ads you’ve seen for women’s sexual enhancers. Coming up blank?

Perhaps that’s because ads for women’s sexual enhancers, ranging from “arousal oil” to sex toys, are frequently rejected by the mainstream media. Women’s sexual needs are still thought of as private, or, less charitably, best harnessed to service reproductive (heterosexual, monogamous) sex and properly domesticated motherhood. These messages do not help empower women to take control of their sexuality, so with or without the ads, women need greater access to sexual resources.

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About Jeana

Jeana

Jeana Jorgensen, PhD recently completed her doctoral degree in folklore and gender studies at Indiana University. She studies fairy tales and other narratives, dance, body art, feminist theory, digital humanities, and gender identity.

  • Lionmml

    Yes. :) In fact when I began to read this message I started thinking about women’s sexual enhancement items and couldn’t think of any. Now there is the stuff with KY, but as you pointed out that is shown being used by a couple. Hmmm….

  • http://twitter.com/foxyfolklorist Jeana Jorgensen

    Advertising something for couples sexuality is “safer” than advertising something for women to use solo, since the couples sexuality can be rationalized as in the service of reproductive heterosexuality. I think there’s a lot of rhetoric about women “needing” a man to be happy/fulfilled, and giving women a way to please themselves sexually just subverts that dominant paradigm, sigh.