Media Culture Project: Who Skyy Vodka Advertisements Are Really Selling To

As exhibited by the three above magazine advertisements, Skyy Vodka clearly sexually objectifies women in order to appeal to their male clientele; however it is interesting to note that these ads are aimed at women as well. By portraying women as sexually desirable, Skyy is selling the supposed power that comes with controlling the male sex’s attractions. Although all three of these women are depicted as happy and confident, it is clear this confidence comes from their physical beauty. Skyy vodka’s advertisements are a clear example of portraying the illusion of women’s power and control over men through sexual appeal and objectification of women’s own bodies. Advertisements such as these illustrate the media’s influence on our acceptance of portraying females as sexual objects. Instead of being angered by these blatantly sexist representations of women, we seem to embrace them under the assumption that they are an exaggeration and therefore untrue portrayals of modern women. These advertisements are clearly aimed at both men and women; however only the females are sexually objectified in the pictures while the men’s faces are not even shown.

Douglas explains that the media gives us the illusion of women’s modern day success through pointing out the women in high level positions as lawyers, CEOs and politicians. These “fantasies of power” however, “assure girls and women, repeatedly, that women’s liberation is a fait accompli and that we are stronger, more successful, more sexually in control, more fearless, and more held in awe than we actually are” (Douglas 5). This illusion of female advancement, Douglas argues, makes it acceptable to portray women in this sexualized way because feminism is dead and no longer necessary. Women are now equal to men and therefore they should actually utilize their sexual appeal to further their gain of control and power in the world. At first glance, these advertisements are clearly an example of the sexual objectification of women; however this myth of female power serves as justification of the ads being acceptable and successful in our society.

All three advertisements show a woman’s face and part or all of her body interacting flirtatiously with a faceless man. Skyy vodka is undoubtedly shown in all of the ads; however the primary focus of the pictures is the sexually charged interaction between the man and woman. In ad #1, the woman is standing in a seemingly powerful stance over the hidden man sitting in a chair in front of her. It appears as though he is either toasting to her or holding his glass out for more; however either action gives the illusion of the woman’s power over the man. What you might not immediately notice in the picture is that the straw in the martini glass on the table is pointing to the Skyy Vodka while the straw in the man’s glass is aimed at the woman’s crotch. These subliminal messages are not always noticed by the viewer; however they clearly influence the impact of the image. Although the ad tries to show the woman’s asserted power, she is dressed in a very revealing backless long black dress with excessive cleavage and an extremely high slit up the side of her leg facing us. She is clearly thin and has the body Douglas describes as Pamela Anderson’s breasts on a 12 year old boy’s body. Ad #2 has many similarities to the first ad; however the sexual interaction between the two characters is even more pronounced. The man stands sexually over the half-naked woman while holding two martini glasses and a full bottle of Skyy Vodka. The large-breasted woman appears to be peeling her sunglasses off of her face as she contemplates giving the man her attention. Although it seems as though the woman has the ability to choose whether or not she wants to continue interacting with the man, he is standing in a very aggressive stance while straddling her. While the ad doesn’t explicitly show violence toward the woman, the man’s natural physical size and position in relation to the woman implies the man’s control. The third advertisement is also very similar to the first two in its portrayal of the two characters; however the man is serving the woman as opposed ad #1. The female figure is seductively opening her mouth to receive the fruit the male is feeding her. Her large breasts are blatantly shown in the attempt to attract the man sitting across from her and the ocean in the background helps to portray as this interaction as blissful and utopian. All three ads, however, clearly show the sexuality of the woman’s face and body and yet none reveal the man’s face.

The faceless man in all three of these ads could be replaced by anyone viewing the image, serving to universalize the ad to everyone. This “male gaze” puts the viewer in the position of the man when looking at the picture, further contributing to the message that Skyy Vodka brings the consumer power. Enlightened sexism explains that “through women’s calculated deployment of their faces, bodies, attire, and sexuality that they gain and enjoy true power” (Douglas 10). These pictures advertise power to both women and men. Men want the power to attract these beautiful women while women in turn want the power that supposedly comes with this impossible body. Since both the men and the women are holding the drinks, these images advertise power and happiness to both men and women through the acquisition and consumption of the vodka.

All three of the settings of the images are ideal and picturesque, insinuating that happiness comes along with the vodka as well. In ad #1, the man and woman are in a large, beautiful, expensive apartment overlooking a bright lit up city at night while ads #2 and #3 are set on a beach, suggesting an idyllic vacation. Douglas describes how “under the guise of escapism and pleasure, we are getting images of imagined power that mask, and even erase, how much still remains to be done for girls and women, images that make sexism seem fine, even fun, and insist that feminism is not utterly pointless” (Douglas 6). Both men and women view this advertisement and feel like Skyy is offering them power and influence. Since the media tells us that women are now equal to men in today’s society, there is no apparent problem with portraying women in such an openly sexual manner. We are told that women should be allowed to utilize their sexual appeal to increase their influence in the world just as men often use their strength and masculinity. Hyper-femininity is viewed as completely acceptable because it is simply taking the power men give us and extending it into all aspects of our lives.

As these ads show, women are told that what they really want is to attract men. Enlightened sexism tells us that women can finally fulfill this desire because we have proven ourselves as equal to men in every other aspect of our lives. Although these ads portray both the men and women as powerful characters, the females are only able to gain this influence over men through their sexual appeal while the un-pictured men are clearly able to have this control without the necessity of physical attractiveness since their faces are not even shown. As Douglas explains, “it’s through sex and sexual display that women really have the power to get what they want” (Douglas 156) and these advertisements clearly support this notion. Since the women are only able to gain power through sexually asserting themselves over the men, this supposed power is in actuality nothing more than a fantasy. The media has shifted our perceptions of women’s equality in today’s society resulting in the increased objectification of women throughout the media. The illusion of women’s equality has made it acceptable to make women into female sex symbols and “it’s actually a joke on the guys (Douglas 13).

The rise of the sexpert, a female sex whiz, originally came from the desires of young women for sexual freedom and the ability to enjoy sex without judgment. The sexpert, however, emphasizes that the goal of the female life is to get men to lust after you while getting other women to envy you (Douglas 10). By representing women in a hyper-sexualized manner, females’ power is actually belittled and minimized to solely sexuality and beauty. This illusion of female power and equality is actually hindering the advancement of women in modern society instead of helping it. These faceless men could be any man the female viewer imagines, giving further credibility to the illusion of women’s power. The contentedness that has arisen surrounding feminist groups due to these fantasies of power has resulted in a common perception of feminism itself being sexist. Since feminism stereotypes certain women and denies them their full range of opportunities, many people disregard it as being an unnecessary movement in a society where men and women already are actually equal and any attention drawn to inequalities is actually a backwards movement in women’s fight for equality.

Women are buying into the idea that Skyy Vodka will make them more attractive to men while men are buying the vodka that will in turn attract these beautiful women. The real message of the ads, however, is that the women are merely objects to be bought and sold the same way Skyy vodka is. The subliminal messages that accompany these advertisements, including the direction of the pointing straw in Ad #1, clearly show that the ads are not simply selling vodka. According to Douglas, advertisements send the message that “your body is your central, crucial resource in establishing your net worth as a female” (Douglas 216). The perfection associated with these women’s bodies insinuates that Skyy vodka is also a form of perfection. Enlightened feminism reconfigures antifeminism as feminism by emphasizing women’s false impression of their status and power in society.

Skyy advertisements are a clear example of Douglas’s theory of enlightened sexism and its role in shaping both men and women’s perception of the female in modern society. By telling us women have already achieved equality in all or almost all aspects of life, the media opens the door to advertisers overly sexually objectifying females as shown in these three ads. These advertisements appeal to both sexes because of the promise of power that both sexes desire. Only the women, however, are overtly sexualized while it is clearly men who have the true control in today’s society.