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Amber Watson Multimedia Writing and Rhetoric Dr. Erin Dietel McLaughlin 15 November 2013 The Lolita Look and The Sexualization of Women Controversy erupted in 2011 when Thylane Lena-Rose Blondaeu graced the pages of French Vogue. Dressed in a plunging neckline dress and stilettoes with heavy, dark makeup, Blondaeu provocatively sprawls across a couch with a sultry gaze. This did not seem controversial or abnormal for the magazine Vogue, with its reputation for being edgy and daring. However, at the time of the photo-shoot, Blondaeu was only ten years old. During the same year, Marc Jacobs Oh Lola! perfume advertisement, starring barely legal Dakota Fanning, also stirred controversy. Dakota Fannings childlike appearance is enhanced through makeup and clothes. She stares into the camera with a wide eyed, innocent glare. Her nude colored dress is hiked up her waist, as she holds the perfume bottle directly in her lap. As Blondaeu appears more mature and Fanning appears childlike, they are both clearly sexualized. This phenomenon, however, is not a new occurrence. Since the 1980s, fashion advertisements have become increasingly sexually explicit, through the change of rhetoric. Women started to appear younger or older through makeup, clothes, dialogue and posing. Many people speculate the reason behind this phenomenon as the obvious reason that sex sells. However, this is not entirely true. Even though sex sells is part of the answer behind this phenomenon, young girls

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and women are sexualized by appearing significantly older or almost childlike as part of the Lolita look. The Lolita look refers to the sexual portrayals of young girls. The Lolita look creates a group of myths that states that childlike youth is sexy and that young girls are willing sexual participants ready to satisfy men. The myths work together to undermine females and their sexuality by creating unrealistic ideals. Since the beginning of modern advertising, sex appeals has been found in fashion advertisements. Sex appeals in advertisements can range from suggestive sexual actions or words, such as an innuendo, to blatant, outright sexual content such as nudity. In the past, sex appeals in advertisements was defined as sexuality in the form of nudity, sexual imagery, innuendo, and double entendre ... employed as an advertising tool for a wide variety of product (Reichert and Carpenter 824). Recently, it is defined as mediated messages (i.e., commercials, magazine ads) containing sexual information with the persuasive purpose of selling branded goods (Reichert and Carpenter 824). Sexual information is anything that suggests sexual interest, behavior, or motivation and can appear in advertisements through either images or words. (Reichert 13) The types of sexual information are nudity, sexual behavior, physical attractiveness, sexual referents and sexual embeds (Reichert 13). Nudity can range from tight or short clothing, to underwear, to full frontal nakedness. Sexual behavior can range from kissing and hugging to more explicit, intimate forms of behavior. Physical attractiveness refers to the models overall beauty. Sexual referents are sexual innuendos or double entendre; references that have a double sexual meanings. Sexual embeds or subliminal advertising are forms of sexual representations designed to be perceived subconsciously (Reichert 25). When sex appeals appear in a fashion advertisement, the advertisement becomes rhetorical. Makeup, clothing,

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dialogue, posing and even the models glare can sexualize the model and the overall advertisement. Since the 1980s, there has been an upward trend of fashion advertisements becoming increasingly more sexually explicit. However, its not that there is so much more sex in ads than in the past, its simply that the sexual content is more explicitly defined (Sivulka 41). When advertisements from the early 20th century are compared to advertisements from the late 20th century to the 21st century, there is a noticeable shift from a relatively innocent representation of a sexually alluring woman to a new type of image, in which sex is explicit (Sivulka 41). Female models now are more likely to engage in explicit sexual behavior, such as fondling, while before, they may have only revealed their bosoms. (Sivulka 39). From 1983 to 2003, there has been an overall increase in sexual dress and intimate contact in fashion advertisements (Reichert and Carpenter 823). Studies have shown that in 2003, 49 % of women were sexually dressed, while in 1983, it was only 28 %. The increase of sex appeals in fashion advertisements leads to the over sexualization of female models. When female models are overly sexualized, they are essentially dehumanize and seen as sexual objects. Women are increasingly sexualized in fashion advertisements as they appear either significantly younger or older. The most obvious and popular reason behind this phenomenon is that marketers utilize sex appeal because it sells the product. Sex appeal is frequently used in fashion advertisements because since it is deemed taboo, it is a prime instrument for attracting public attention (Heller 1). Marketers and advertisers use sex to attract attention to their products and appeal to their audiences. It can also demonstrate (whether falsely or accurately) the outcomes of buying the product or using the brand. Depending on the audience, the rhetorical use of sex appeals in fashion advertisements could be favorably evaluated, which would influence positive feelings

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towards the brand (Reichert and Carpenter 824). By influencing positive feelings towards the brand, there is a greater chance of consumers buying the product. Thus, by increasing the sexual explicitness in fashion advertisements and overly sexualizing female models, advertisers would attract more attention, which would hopefully generate more sales. This reason, however, does not fully explain why female models are overly sexualized when they are made to look childlike or more mature. Women are sexualized in this particular way, not for the sole purpose of selling the product, but to also appeal to the Lolita look. Lolita, a novel by Vladimir Nabokov, portrays a males sick, perverted fascination of a preadolescent girl nicknamed Lolita. The novels protagonist, Humbert, sexually obsesses over young girls, or nymphets, and claims that Lolita seduced him. In recent years, the Lolita look refers to the sexual portrayals of young girls as willing sexual participants (Merskin 119). By integrating the Lolita look in fashion advertisements, advertisers fetishize a young girls innocence and appeal to the males pedophilic fantasy of a sexual young girl. Even though the thought has been constantly condemned, there remains a level of curiosity about children as sexual beings (Merskin 125). The female models appeal to the males pedophilic desires, when they appear younger or older, because they appear vampish and virginal forbidden and accessible (Merskin 121). The female models appear passive and available, which aids to fuel pedophilic fantasies (Merskin 123). In the 1980s, Brooke Shields starred in a few Calvin Klein commercials. Even though she was only fifteen years old, Shields is made to appear older through heavy, dark makeup and big hair. In her most popular commercial, Shields poses directly in front of the camera and her crotch is clearly the focal point of the commercial. She stares directly into the camera and states You want to know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing (Ivinski 109). It can be argued

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that Shields figuratively means that nothing becomes between her and her jeans, such as money or another pair of designer jeans. Shieldss dialogue, however, is an example of a sexual referent. She sexually suggests that she has absolutely no underwear underneath her jeans. In another Calvin Kleins commercial, the camera slowly pans over Shieldss enhanced, jean clad curves as a deep, masculine voice comments I always thought beauty must be as isolating as genius. After the male voice finishes speaking, the audience gets to see Shields and the male model. They are in an intimate position, as the male, who looks significantly older than Shields, whispers in her ear. Shields responds back, My mother warned me about boys like you. Mama said hes only interested in my Calvins. By saying mother twice in the context of protection, Shields emphasizes her childishness, despite appearing older than her age (Ivinski 110). While Brooke Shields appears significantly more mature, Kate Moss appears significantly younger, almost childlike, in her Calvin Kleins advertisements (Ivinski 110). Moss starred in Calvin Kleins advertisements for his mens perfume, Obsession. She poses naked while looking into the camera with a wide eyed glare. Even though she is clearly an adult, Mosss lack of curves, light makeup and innocent glare make her appear childlike. These two advertisements are clear examples of the Lolita look appearing in the media. It is not a coincidence that Kate Moss provocatively modeled for a perfume cleverly named Obsession, while portraying a childlike youth. This is an example of the Lolita look fueling pedophilic desires. In both advertisements, Klein sexually exploits the female models as he blurred the line between innocent or experienced and child or adult. The presence of the Lolita look in fashion advertisements leads to the Lolita Effect in todays society. The Lolita Effect are myths that the Lolita look implies. The first myth is that the younger a girl is, the sexier she is (Durham 127). By sexualizing and showing young girls

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as more mature or grown women as significantly younger, advertisements illustrate that the female sexuality is the province of youth (Durham 125). In order to be sexy, a woman must look significantly younger or be a child. This implication leads to the rise of the sexy little girl which is synonymous with the Lolita look. The sexy little girl appears in the advertisements as a skinny baby-faced girl with a curvy figure (Durham 24). She blurs the line between child pornography and the sexualization of children as she poses seductively, invoking a pedophilic fantasy. The sexy little girl embodies the chauvinistic beauty myth, because she portrays that a woman is supposed to be young in order to be attractive (Durham 24). The ideal sexiness that the Lolita look and the sexy little girl imply is actually unattainable. Females are supposed to have a baby face and a thin body with voluptuous curves, while simultaneously being innocent but experienced. This ideology contradicts itself. Since young girls are not as capable as grown women of controlling their bodies and sexuality, they are more submissive, compliant and passive. They fit more easily into the patriarchal societys ideal of compliant, docile sexuality (Durham 129). Thus, they are constantly shown as willing sexual partners that could be easily exploited. This leads into the next myth: young girls are highly sexualized beings, ready to cater the whims of men because they are docile and passive (Merskin 122). Many fashion advertisements feature women portrayed as children with barrettes and bows, while posing in positions of submissiveness (Durham 119). In the 1990s, New York Times magazine featured grown women as adolescent girls, infantilized and powerless, standing around in babydollstyle dresses that reached only to upper thigh, hair arranged in bows and barrettes (Merskin 122). Since children are viewed as powerless and easily influenced, the models are also portrayed as powerless, when dressed down as children, to convey how easily men can control young girls. Brooke Shields embodies

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this myth in her Calvin Klein commercials. Even though she is physically a young girl, she is also supposedly sexually willing. This myth blurs the line between child pornography and the sexualization of children in the media. Women dressing like children while engaging in sex is common in pornography. It also influences the stereotypical ideology that women are inferior and sexual objects, because they are constantly shown as a means to satisfy men. The problem that lies within this implication is that even though the young girls are portrayed as active sexual partners, children legally cannot consent to sexual actions. Advertisers utilize the Lolita look in fashion advertisements, since it creates ideals that are impossible to attain and then suggest to audiences that they are attainable if the right products are purchased (Durham 191). When females, especially older women, view fashion advertisements that feature the Lolita look, they internalize that childlike youth is sexy, especially after seeing the different portrayals of the sexy little girl. The sexy little girl is so popular in fashion advertisements because young girls are seen as less threatening than grown women, since they are compliant and too young to control their bodies and sexuality (Durham 129). Older women start to compare themselves against the unrealistic portrayal of the sexy little girl. They become insecure because they do not have the childlike youth the advertisements are portraying as the ideal form of beauty. They start to believe that in order to appear attractive, they would need the product that is advertised. The advertised childlike beauty is unattainable, but with the right products, the women believe they can closely achieve it. The feeling of not being good enough can run deeper than wanting to buy a product. The sexy little girl is thin, but also has a curvy figure. Since she is constantly advertised with this body shape, women and young girls internalize that this body shape is also the ideal form of beauty. Yet again, this body shape is actually unachievable to acquire because its nothing but

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really good editing. The model themselves do not look like their images in fashion advertisements (Durham 100). This creates a distorted body image within females. Females sthrive to achieve this body shape, through dieting, diet pills and overly exercising. When they do not achieve the desired results, they feel insecure. This can lead to low self-esteem and selfhate. In more drastic scenarios, females can develop an eating disorder. And all the while, beauty industries profit from womens feelings of inadequacy. When young girls view fashion advertisements, they internalize the myth that young girls are highly sexual and willing sex partners. This myth teaches them that they too should be willing and ready to satisfy men. If they appear willing and available, men will find them attractive. By doing so, young girls start to sexualize themselves, or view themselves as sexual objects. In recent years, there has been a rise of Prostitots, a crude combination of the words prostitutes and toddlers. Prostitots refer to little girls who dresses suggestively or provocatively with short skirts and tight, low cut shirts (Opplinger 15). Kids would wear clothing with highly suggestive sayings, such as Wink, Wink or Eye Candy (Durham 23). The popular Bratz dolls are marketed to young girls as young as six and do not promote the healthiest body image. Bratz wear extremely short skirts, with fishnet stockings and tube tops. Since their slogan is girls with a passion for fashion, they portray to girls that their sleazy attire is the epitome of fashion (Durham 74). The little girls refer to these dolls as hot and try to imitate their fashion. They believe that if they dress the same way, they too would be hot and attract males. In recent years, the age of young girls participating in sexual activities has gotten younger. Prepubescent girls are now engaging in sex, which raises the rate of teen pregnancy in the United States and other countries (Durham 12). Because young girls are participating in sex at such a young age, sexually transmitted diseases have also become increasingly high among teenagers

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(Durham 12). It can be argued that the rise of numbers are caused by the myth that young girls are eager participants for sex. By internalizing that myth, the girls believe that they must fulfill males desires. This myth limits a girls sexuality because her body is for others sexual needs, not for her own. The myth never addresses that a woman participates in sex to satisfy her own pleasure, only to satisfy a males sexual desires. By doing so, she no longer controls her own sexuality. It can be argued that the sexy little girl is seen as a symbol of female empowerment and fuels the prospect of potent female sexuality, because she teaches young girls and women to flaunt what they have (Durham 24). However, the sexy little girl and the myths supports an ideology of lower regard and class status for women and children (Merskin 122). They can be seen as possible patriarchal backlash to feminism (Durham 129). During the feminist movement, women were encouraged to proudly test their sexuality and flaunt what they have. Women were told that they were beautiful, even if they did not have the bodies portrayed in the media. They were encouraged to seek pleasure, independence, and control in their sex lives (Durham 129). The myths and the sexy little girl seem to encourage the same exact messages as the feminist movement. However, when girls flaunt what they have, they face horrible repercussions as they are seen as too provocative or too easy. In actuality, the myths and the sexy little girl work together to repress girls and their sexuality. Females feel insecure because they do not embody the ideal forms of beauty. They also no longer control their own sexuality because they are objectified as sexual objects whose sole purpose is to satisfy men. Some critics also argue that there is no such thing as the Lolita look in fashion advertisements. They believe that people are looking too far into things in order to start controversy. When asked about the controversy surrounding the Marc Jacobs Oh Lola! Perfume

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advertisement, the global band Coty (who made the perfume) denied that the styling in the advertisement suggests that Fanning was portraying a sexualized minor. They acknowledged that while the position of the perfume bottle was provoking, Fanning was not sexualized because the advertisement did not show any private body parts or sexual activity (qtd in Poulter, Dakota Fanning's 'Lolita' Perfume Ad for Marc Jacobs Is Banned for 'sexualizing Children' ). However, it is quite clear that the Lolita look is an actual phenomenon appearing in fashion advertisements. After being questioned about his Oh Lola! perfume advertisement, the one featuring a clearly sexualized, younger looking Dakota Fanning, Marc Jacobs stated that I knew she could be this contemporary Lolita, seductive yet sweet (qtd in Poulter, Dakota Fanning's 'Lolita' Perfume Ad for Marc Jacobs Is Banned for 'sexualizing Children' ). In one of her many photo-shoots, a young Britney Spears poses provocatively in a room filled with dolls and stuffed animals, so the photo can have a childlike theme, despite her suggestive poses. When asked about the photoshoot, the photographer stated, We wanted a very Lolita-ish picture (qtd in Durham 115). These quotes from a designer and photographer prove that it was their clear intentions to integrate the Lolita look in their photos. The Lolita look and the Lolita Effect would cease to exist if marketers and advertisers decide to stop sexualizing females. Even though this is the ideal scenario, it is also the most unreachable scenario. Advertisers would not suddenly stop integrating the Lolita look in fashion advertisements because it help sells the product. Even when controversy erupts over a highly sexual advertisement, the company still benefits because the controversy attracts attention to the brand. Individuals tend to only blame the marketers for sexualizing females. However, as the consumers, individuals also play a role in the exploitation of female models, because even though we may or may not be the ones exploiting youngsters every time we make a purchase

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we open our front doors to those who do, and happily point them in the direction of the basement (Ivinski 114). Consumers might not be exploiting the young girls in advertisements, but when they buy the products, they are showing the advertisers that their advertising strategies work. People can work together to fight the sexualization of women. One way people can fight sexualization is by changing the media landscape (Zurbriggen and Roberts 302). Instead of buying products from brands that clearly sexualize females, consumers can support other brands that do not sexualize women in their advertisements. People can easily engage and communicate to the media due to technology. People can send emails and letters to companies that sexualize females and complain about their advertisements (Durham 227). Since brands are sensitive to consumers opinions and depends on the consumers, they might make some changes to their advertisements strategies if enough people effectively complain. Media literacy programs can also help people fight sexualization (Zurbriggen and Roberts 305). By becoming media literate, females would be able to critically analyze media messages by understanding the certain rhetorical strategies used in advertisements (Durham 224). These programs can prevent females from internalizing the myths the Lolita look implies (Zurbriggen and Roberts 305). Since media literacy programs prevent females from internalizing the myths, they become less susceptible to body image problems and self-sexualization. In fashion advertisements, marketers sexualize female models as they appear more mature or childlike as part of the Lolita look. As the Lolita Look is integrated into the advertisements, it creates myths that cause certain unrealistic ideals that undermine females and their sexuality. By doing so, the advertisements perform the social function of distributing psychological power. Psychological power is the power to shape the thinking of other people (Herrick 19). The

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advertisements utilize rhetoric as psychological power since it alter how females view themselves.

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Work Cited Durham, Meenakshi Gigi. The Lolita Effect: The Media Sexualization of Young Girls and What We Can Do about It. Woodstock, NY: Overlook, 2008. Print. Heller, Steven. "Sex Sells." Sex Appeal: The Art of Allure in Graphic and Advertising Design. Ed. Steven Heller. New York: Allworth, 2000. Xii-Xv. Print. Herrick, James A. "An Overview of Rhetoric." The History and Theory of Rhetoric. 2nd ed. N.p.: Allyn & Bacon, 2001. 5-19. Print. Ivinski, Pamela A. "I See London, I See France, I See Calvin's Underpants." Sex Appeal: The Art of Allure in Graphic and Advertising Design. Ed. Steven Heller. New York: Allworth, 2000. 108-15. Print. Merskin, Debra. "Reviving Lolita? A Media Literacy Examination of Sexual Portrayals of Girls in Fashion Advertising." American Behavioral Scientist 48.1 (2004): 119-129. Print. Oppliger, Patrice A. Girls Gone Skank: The Sexualization of Girls in American Culture. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, 2008. Print. Poulter, Sean. "Dakota Fanning's 'Lolita' Perfume Ad for Marc Jacobs Is Banned for 'Sexualising Children'" Daily Mail. Associated Newspapers Ltd, 9 Nov. 2011. Web. 4 Nov. 2013. <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2059097/Dakota-Fannings-sexuallyprovocative-perfume-ad-banned.html>. Reichert, Tom, and Courtney Carpenter. "An Update on Sex in Magazine Advertising: 1983 to 2003." Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly 81.4 (2004): 823-837. Print.

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Reichert, Tom. "What Is Sex in Advertising? Perspectives from Consumer Behavior and Social Science Research." Sex in Advertising: Perspectives on the Erotic Appeal. Ed. Tom Reichert and Jacqueline Lambiase. Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., 2003. 11-38. Print. Sivulka, Juliann. "Historical and Psychological Perspectives of the Erotic Appeal in Advertising." Ed. Jacqueline Lambiase. Sex in Advertising: Perspectives on the Erotic Appeal. Ed. Tom Reichert. Erlbaum: Lawrence, 2003. 39-64. Print. Zurbriggen, Eileen L., and Tomi-Ann Roberts. "Fighting Sexualization: What Parents, Teachers, Communities and Young People Can Do." Ed. Tomi-Ann Roberts. The Sexualization of Girls and Girlhood. Ed. Eileen L. Zurbriggen. New York: Oxford University, 2013. 30210. Print.