Stop Sexualizing Women

Carl’s Jr. Marketing Department

Dear Andrew F. Puzder and Brad R. Haley:

I am writing to you as a plea to stop using sex to sell your products. Please stop sexualizing women in your advertising. I do not find it wise for your marketing strategy to be structured around sex. Here is why:

 There are six facets to effective advertising. These include: perception, emotional, cognitive, association, persuasion, and behavior. Behavior, which is the facet that elicits action from consumers to buy your product, is, obviously, the most important. The persuasion facet is also an integral piece as it is the facet that gets your consumers to buy into and believe that your product will fulfill their needs. So my question to you is: What about your sexy commercials is convincing your target audience to believe your product will fulfill their needs and causing them to go out and buy it? Being a business management minor from Brigham Young University and having taken a course on marketing, I feel informed enough in the field of advertising to inform you that I do not think your advertising is effective. I do not see it fulfilling many of the six facets, but especially the facets of persuasion and behavior. I, as a potential consumer of your products, do not see how your commercials are educating your target audience of the benefits of your products and causing them to act. 

That being said, I want to inform you of the research that has been done in regards to sex and advertising. Does sex really sell? A recent meta-analysis that consisted of 44 studies and 8,489 participants concluded that sex in advertising does not increase sales. In actuality, sex in advertising is linked to less favored brands, has no effect on buying intentions, and as the sex increases in intensity, one’s memory, attitudes and actual intentions of buying decrease (Lull & Bushman, 2015). What you’re really doing is helping Paris Hilton and the other women to sell their own brands. These men are not going to remember your hamburger. They are going to remember Paris Hilton’s body.

When I see your ads, I think, “Seriously, this company thinks that women are a piece of meat that will help them sell their pieces of meat?” And I know I am not the only one. You say your burgers are “more than just a piece of meat,” but is this the message you are sending about women? Do you believe that women are more than just a piece of meat? Do you know that your adverts are contributing to sexual objectification? As women see other women being sexually objectified, they are more likely to treat and see themselves as objects (Vandenbosch & Eggermont, 2012), have eating disorders (Harrison & Hefner, 2006), see themselves as less intelligent (Behm-Morawitz & Mastro, 2009), and have problems in their relationships (Manago, Ward, Lemm, Reed, & Seabrook, 2015). Do you really want your company to be contributing to these negative outcomes for women and society as a whole?

Personally, I think you would be much more effective and your sales would improve if you re-structured your marketing to target a greater audience. As a wife and soon to be mother, I can tell you that I will not support a company that sexualizes women. I will not set the example to my children that sexual objectification is acceptable. And as a wife, I do not appreciate my husband being exposed to your advertising. In our marriage, like many American marriages, I have an equal, if not greater, say in decision-making. This includes decisions about where we will be eating out. Do you think that I am going to approve of a suggestion to eat at Carl’s Jr. from my husband? I am not. And I think I have given enough information for you to have an idea as to why that is.

My final question to you is: Do you want the business of one man or the business of an entire family? If your answer is the latter, I strongly suggest you attempt to re-work your brand image and adjust your advertising to have a more effective impact on more than just a young male audience.

Sincerely,

Lyndsey Gunnerson

Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing

This past General Conference was amazing. I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to listen to the talks and the songs. They truly gave me the lift and the strength that I needed for this upcoming week- I've been super stressed about getting all my assignments completed for school as I am sure everyone has. So this week, I am so grateful for media being a means whereby I can feel the Spirit and receive strength.

One of my favorite moments from this session of conference- more specifically, Saturday morning's session- was when MOTAB sang "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing." So I just want to share some of the lyrics from that song that touched me in a new way.

"Streams of mercy, never ceasing..."

"I'm fixed upon it..."

"And I hope, by thy good pleasure, safely to arrive at home..."

"Jesus sought me when a stranger..."

"He, to rescue me from danger interposed His precious blood..."

"Prone to wander..."

"Here's my heart, O take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above..."

I want to quickly share my testimony. I know, with everything I have, that Jesus Christ lived and died for us. Died for me. I testify that I have felt of His love for me. I have seen Him change me. I have seen Him lift me from the darkest of places into the most beautiful and joyous. I know the enabling power of the atonement is real. I have felt it. I have felt it every single time I have asked to receive. And I have felt it when I haven't. I have felt Jesus' love for me. I have felt His love for others. While I am prone to wander, I know that my Brother, Jesus the Christ and my Savior, He will follow me. And He will help me make it safely home. He will help you.

How grateful I am for this beautiful song to remind me of this and help me ponder these feelings. There is such a power in music- I testify of this! And I say these things, in Jesus' name, amen.

Zootopia

Recently, my husband and I went on a double date and saw the movie, Zootopia. The movie was really cute and funny. But I couldn't help but be somewhat critical about it. One positive message from the movie is that you can be independent and successful as a woman. The protagonist is a woman and she is able to accomplish her dreams. I love that she doesn't fall in love, and that she is never portrayed as chasing after a man like most other Disney movies. On the other hand, one thing I really disliked was their portrayals of the thin ideal in this movie. All the women animals were seen with "unrealistic" bodies and form-fitting clothing. I mean.. a bullet proof bra is not a realistic piece of attire, yet it was seen on the protagonist for most of the film. I found this aspect of the movie really sad. This messages of what women should look like are being slammed into young girl's minds all the time. And these are animals!! They don't need to be portrayed that way.. it's completely unnecessary.

Provo City Center Temple Dedication

Yesterday, I my husband and I went to our ward building to watch the broadcasted dedication of the Provo City Center Temple. This experience was one that opened my eyes to more benefits that come from the media. I am always so excited when I can see some positive influences of media because of all the negative that exists. Anyways, yesterday I was so amazed at how powerful this experience was and the Spirit that I felt just from watching a projector screen. I didn't have to be at the actual temple dedication, and I was still overwhelmed with the Spirit. That was only able to come about because of media. I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to take part in that beautiful ceremony. If media and technology didn't exist, that would't have been possible. Even though they may be harder to come across, there are definitely many benefits that come from the media. I am grateful that I have agency and can choose which pieces of the media I will participate in.

Audio Books

This past weekend, my little brother got baptized, and my husband and I were fortunate enough to be able to drive down to Coeur d' Alene, Idaho (our home town) to be there for this special event. We never get to do this in the middle of the semester because it is a 12 hour drive. So by the time you travel there and back, you've spent two days driving. But this last weekend, we both had our classes canceled Friday and were able to leave Thursday. Anyways, usually when we do this drive we occupy ourselves by talking, singing, sleeping, etc. But before we left this time, we quickly stopped by the library to get some audio books. Before this, I really hadn't had any experience with audio books, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked them! We were able to "read" two books throughout the course of the drive. It was awesome! I think audio books are a great way to gain knowledge in pass time. Recently I head that a huge percentage of wealthy individuals listen to audio books during their commute to work each day vs a very small percentage of poor individuals. Very interesting. On the contrary, I did notice that the conversation between my husband and I was greatly diminished because we were so lost in the stories of these books. However, these audio books provided many good conversation pieces later when the books were over. The audio books also really helped us stay alert and awake for the entire drive- usually I really struggle with this. So all in all, I think audio books can definitely be a positive thing in my life, and I plan to implement them into my daily life from now on.

Miss Representation

I really enjoyed watching the Miss Representation documentary in class this past week. I liked it so much that I made my husband watch it with me later that night, haha. I just want to mention a couple things that particularly stood out to me.

One of the main themes that resounded with me is that the media has the potential to dissemble us. If we let it, we can be consumed with body appearances and that can effect several other aspects of our lives.  Personally, I have felt defeated in some cases after experience with media and women's appearances. I get to thinking that if I don't look exactly like the models portrayed- the women that everyone wants to be- then I am some how less valuable. Instead of thinking rationally, I let myself sit and think about this and continue to participate in the same media that has made me feel so small. It's this weird obsession. And I have noticed the damage it's done in my life. I see myself as a small person, one that is a follower rather than a leader. The statistics for how few women are in politics and positions of power resounded with me as I thought about my own tendencies. It seems so likely that women are less prevalent in these positions because of the disempowerment they feel from today's culture and the media.

The other theme that was present was the tendency for women to judge harshly other women. One of the speakers from the documentary mentioned how people are so quick to focus on the outside appearances of women before they actually start to focus on what they are saying. This feels so true to me. Whenever a women is standing in front of me speaking, my eyes and thoughts immediately analyze the details of their appearance- their hair, their jewelry, their clothing, the SHOES. Only then, can I truly listen to the message. And even still, I am frequently draw to aspects of her appearance throughout her time of speaking. This makes me so sad. I dont want people focusing on my appearance. I want people to hear me. I think that's what most women want. I really need to be a better supporter and example of this by listening to those around me and rejected the tendency to focus on "looks."

The last thing this documentary made me think about, is the type of mother I want to be. Growing up, my mother was always concerned with her appearance. She always made comments about certain parts of her body that she didn't like. There were plenty of mornings that I watched her cry while getting ready in the mornings. I truly believe that this is one of the reasons I struggle with my appearance. I never want my daughter to feel this way. I want her to love herself the way I will love her. I want her to see the reflection that God will see. I know if I want this, I need to make some big changes today.

Choose to see a wish, rather than a weed.

Video Games

I have never been a one to play video games. Growing up, we had a wii and sometime I would watch my brothers play games, but I never got into them myself. They just never seemed to interest me like other forms of media. Well recently, my husband and I got a ps3. We got it after the lecture on video games, so I, of course, had some hesitations and laid out some ground rules. We both decided we never wanted sexual or violent games in our home. Soon after getting the game system, we headed to Game Stop to purchase our first game. I was pretty disappointed that there weren't a whole lot of games to choose from that fit out guidelines. That was kinda sad to me, but it also makes sense- violence and sex sell.  Eventually, in the used game section, we found one that sparked our interest: Lego Harry Potter. I'm guessing someone had sold back this game because it wasn't exciting enough? as in.. it literally has no sexual themes and no violence (other than casting spells).

When we got home, we decided to try this game out. We sat down on the couch together and played for about an hour. Much to my surprise, it was so much fun to play this game with my husband. The game involves a lot of looking around for small clues and trying to figure out what you are supposed to accomplish in order to move on. It felt good to work as a team and progress through the levels. After playing, I felt closer to my husband- as nerdy or weird as that might sound haha. I can relate to the study done on brothers and sisters playing together and having less contention afterwards.

This being said, while at first I was skeptical, I now see a place for video games in our family- as long as they have good themes and encourage the bonding my husband and I felt. I guess it goes to show, don't knock it til you try it.