Does Sex Really Sell?

0 Comments | Insight on the News, Sept 24, 2001 | by Jennifer Harper

Sex, sin and boudoir blunders can cause controversy, but do they sell magazines?

A 1999 Wirthlin Worldwide poll found that 73 percent of Americans thought provocative magazine content was "inappropriate," and 60 percent said the covers should be hidden in public marketplaces. Of women polled, 81 percent disapproved of the headlines. Ironically, lurid headlines have become the province of women's publications: "Explosive Sex! The surprising turn-on you can't ignore" (Redbook); "What turns good sex into great sex" (Glamour); "Lust Lessons" (Cosmopolitan); "Make your crush like you in that way" (Cosmo Girl); "Hair Lust" (Mademoiselle)

It's all part of the trend toward "desperate headlines" among struggling glossy publications, notes Simon Dumenco of Inside, an online media journal. Other critics refer to the women's magazines as "soft porn" and have organized consumer boycotts and letter-writing campaigns.

"Magazines like Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Redbook and others play up sexually lurid covers, vying with each other to be the most shocking and filthy," stated the San Diego-based Citizens for Community Values, which petitioned the Kroger grocery-store chain to hide the covers of the magazines.

But does "sex sell," as the old adage goes? One survey suggests that consumers are inundated and fatigued. A recent poll by American Demographics magazine found that 61 percent of the respondents said "sexual imagery" in a product advertisement would make them less likely to buy it, and one-third were downright offended by the whole idea. Yet the public doesn't mind romantic images. The survey found that 53 percent said they would buy a product that emphasized the imagery of traditional romance, proving that heart rather than libido influenced consumers.

Women's magazines don't discern between the two, apparently, and continue their "sizzling," "breathless" and "sinful" review of things feminine. There are alternatives. Spirituality, animal stories, weight loss, health scares and bargains are the old reliables of attention-getting devices. Politics also is being retooled for the female audience.

Meanwhile, the cover of the current Ladies Home Journal asks: "Are you turning into your mother?"