Rape Culture Reinforced by the Media 16 | Page 5

they are able to achieve the masculine qualities society expects from them. This leads to the reinforcement of rape culture because it encourages people to believe that violence is not only sexy but it is something very normal within the culture of our society. This advertisement is not alone in contributing to perception about sexuality, American Apparel is possibly just as blunt when advertising their product to the audience. One can see that a man dressed in American Apparel clothing is spreading the legs of a lady. Do I really have to lay it out for you? No, the message is obvious. If you want to successfully persuade a girl to have sex, wear American Apparel. For one thing, this suggests that through purchasing this product you are able to dominate women sexually. But more importantly, this shows the audience that women are merely an object of sexual desire. The advertisement neglects to show the face or mood of the woman and relies solely on her genitalia to provide the message. Therefore, by giving her no personality only her lady parts are represented as meaningful. This reinforces to viewers the idea that women are only recognized for their sexual parts and ability rather than any level of intellectuality or personality. Men understand this message one hundred percent, that there is no intimacy or personality when it comes to violating a woman's parts. There is only physical dominance. Overall, these two advertisements are very similar in their message: sexuality is

violent, and it is normal for

a man to assert sexual

and physical dominance

on a woman. These

advertisements reinforce this

rape culture astonishingly,

and are not alone in the

world of advertisement.