Project 3

Stop promoting products by degrading women!

abstract

In 2019, an Australian owned auto service company released this advertisement, featuring Charlie Sheen. Ultra Tune is the largest independent automotive car servicing and repairer in Australia. Sheen is most commonly known as an American actor and "bad boy." This famous actor has a history of having substance abuse problems along with some very questionable behavior. He has been arrested multiple times and has also been publicly accused of rape.

The advertisement begins with four very attractive women driving to the beach. The woman driving suddenly has issues with the brakes on the car, which forces them to pass through a stop sign. Next, the commercial shows Sheen fishing on a boat that is nearby in the water. Then, it shows the girls crashing the car into the water while Sheen watches them from his boat. They get onto his boat and inform him that their brakes went out and ask to use his phone. As he attempts to take a selfie with one of the women, she takes the phone from him and the Ultra Tune advertisement pops up. The ad ends showing girls inside of Sheen's boat in sexy clothing, with drinks in their hand. At the end, the Ultra Tune employee shows up and is shocked when he sees the car submerged in the water.

Figure 1. Image of the girls driving from the Ultra Tune advertisement

Expectations of women

This auto service advertisement has flawless women in it. They're all young with perfect hair, makeup, boobs and bodies. Even after these women crashed into the ocean, they all came out of the water looking stunning. While they were damp, their clothes and makeup still looked perfect. As long as mass media has existed, it's portrayed the ideal characteristics of female beauty. Killing us softly 4 mentions that advertising tells us that the most important thing about women is how we look. Media likes to give the impression that to be beautiful you have to be perfect. Perfection always seems to be of the upmost importance.

Sexualizing Women

It's apparent from the beginning of the advertisement that the women are being sexualized. It does a great job in doing so, considering it's less than a minute and a half. For example, one of the girls says, "Hey! Check out those boats." While another sucks on a lollypop and replies, "Wow! They're SO big!" While it may not be very obvious, this type of language is associated with pornography. It's no coincidence that the only woman with a sucker in her mouth is the one that makes that comment. She even licks the lolly pop as she says the word big, while her friend looks at her with her mouth wide open (see Figure 2).

Before the women crashed into the water, Sheen was shown with a fishing rod and he said he's "feeling lucky." After the crash, as each of the women joined Sheen on the boat, he touched them on their backsides. While this was going on, promiscuous music played in the background. Then, Sheen says to the camera, "I'm all out of towels. Winning." He's obviously excited that four stunning women are wet, with their nipples showing through their outfits, are now at his disposal. He even lifts his eyebrow as he says he's winning (see Figure 3). He shows no concern about the women's well-being the entire time and never asked them if they would like to get off the boat.

At the end of the advertisement, it showed Sheen surrounded by girls, seven to be exact. Sheen asks the captain of the boat if he's "ready", just before the Ultra Tune employee shows up. Him asking the captain if he's "ready" suggested that they were about to do something other than boating, implementing a sexual innuendo. The way the girls were standing around Sheen is also associated with pornography (see Figure 4). They're all standing there looking at him as if he's the best thing on earth. The ad said to "avoid unexpected situations" by getting their cars serviced at Ultra Tune, yet everyone in the advertisement seemed to be happy by the outcome.

Figure 2. Image of the girls as the one with the lollypop says "Wow! They're so big!"

Figure 3. Image of Sheen watching the women after they boarded the boat

Figure 4. Image of Sheen surrounded by women

Analysis

This advertisement is degrading to women and shows that it's okay for women to be sexualized. While both men and women can be sexually objectified, there's one huge difference. Kilboure explains in her article, "The most important difference is that there is no danger for most men, whereas objectified women are always at risk" (Kilbourne, pg.501). Sheen's inappropriate touches, looks and words would've made any girl uncomfortable. If this were real life, these girls would've been in danger.

All of the women in this advertisement wore sexy outfits. Whereas Sheen, the boat captain, and the Ultra Tune employee were all fully clothed. Kilbourne on pg. 501 writes, "Men's bodies are not routinely judged and invaded. Men are not likely to be raped, harassed or beaten..." It was very invasive when the women got onto the boat and he touched each of them. He was even happy that he had no towels to give the girls because he liked to see through their clothes (see Figure 3). This type of behavior should not ever be socially acceptable.

None of the men in the advertisement were sexualized yet each girl was sexualized in some way. In this advertisement, several of the scenes reflected pornography. Kilbourne explained, "The poses and postures of advertising are often borrowed from pornography, as are many of the themes" (pg. 489). The woman with the lolly pop in her mouth was shown in a very provocative manner. The way she talked and sucked on the candy was a clear reference to oral sex (see Figure 2). The image with all of the girls surrounding Sheen resembled group sex (see Figure 4). He is fully clothed, while they're all in a bikini or a sexy outfit. They're even looking at him in a sexual manner.

Kilbourne also says, "The main goal in pornography is usually power over another, either by physical dominance or the preferred status of men or what is seen as the exploitative power of female beauty and female sexuality" (pg. 489). Women are too often exploited in mass media to appeal to a particular audience. In the video, Sheen is shown as the person with all the power while all of the women stand around him. The women were shown as damsels in distress and therefore needed a savior. At the end of the advertisement, it is implied that they're going to perform sexual favors.

CONCLUSION

Far too often, women are sexualized for the benefit of others. Since the beginning of time, women have struggled for the same rights and respect as men have always been given. This type of behavior should have never been acceptable and will never be appropriate or justifiable. This advertisement promotes the demeaning of women while promoting their own services. This company was highly inappropriate in associating women's sexual services with their own professional services. It may be easy for some people to overlook how wrong this advertisement is and that's why it's important for everyone to be able to see past what companies are trying to sell us. Companies like Ultra Tune should not be supported for the sake of women all over the world.

References

"Charlie Sheen Ultra Tune Advert - Unexpected Situations #7." Youtube, uploaded by Sean Buckley, 13 January 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unak9aav_3g

Kilbourne, Jean. "Three Ways a Woman Can Get Hurt." Rereading America. Eds. Colombo, Cullen, Lisle. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's P. 2013.

Killing Us Softly 4. Perf. Jean Kilbourne. Dir. Sut Jhally. Media Education Foundation, 2011.

Pictures, Screenshots. Sean Buckley. "Charlie Sheen Ultra Tune Advert - Unexpected Situations #7". YouTube. 13 Jan. 2019. Web. 4 Apr. 2020.

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