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Psychological Aspects of Sex in Advertising
To understand why sex in advertising is effective, it is important to understand the psychological aspects of it. The basic reasoning for using sex in advertising is that it attracts attention and helps sell product. Whether or not "sex sells" is debatable depending on a number of factors, however sex in advertising is proven to attract attention. The human brain is made up of many different parts, one way it can be broken up is the old, the halfway, and the new. The old brain is the part of the brain that has developed from the beginning of humanity to help us survive, and its three main objectives are to keep you safe, to keep you fed, and to ensure that you can reproduce. Reproduction is the basic need that makes sex in advertising so strongly effective. The need is so strong that even suggestive material can draw the attention of potential consumers.

There are five chemicals in the brain that are stimulated in a well constructed ad that make the consumer want to buy a product. The fist is cortisol. cortisol is a chemical that releases stress hormones into the body that make the brain automatically search for any ways to bring back the four "happy" chemicals: dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins. Put simply, the ad identifies a problem that will release cortisol into your body and then presents the product that will supposedly solve the problem.

It is often said that sex appeal only works with brands that are relevant to sex, and this is true for the most part. There are other factors that come into play as well, such as commitment context or relationship commitment. The audience that the advertiser is marketing towards is a major factor in how or if sex appeal is appropriate as men and women respond differently to sex in advertising. While the vast majority of men respond positively to a wide range of sex appeal, women are often found to have a narrower range of positive response sex appeal. It's important to note that sex in advertising does not always work. Not every product can be easily linked to sex and some advertisements are seen as unacceptable based on society's views.

History
What is seen as provocative or risqué has changes vastly over the years. During the Civil War, medical products were engraved with women's faces on them to attract attention. During the 1890's, ads that displayed women's ankles and knees were viewed as risqué. Later in the 1930's sex in advertising really blew up with displays of the back and breasts in some earlier advertising and later full frontal nudity. Many ads that first made use of sex appeal were those advertising for fragrance, undergarments, and beauty products. Many of these ads also displayed women sexually, but this all later changed starting in the 1940's when advertisers started using sex appeal for a much wider range of goods and services.