Burger King

So essentially- this advertisement tells women that if you eat a Burger King Super Seven Incher sandwich- it will be like giving a blow job. Hm. Right. Am I supposed to get a sense of pleasure out of this? Is this sandwich only for women? Can men eat it too? Because I would just like to say, EAT IT. Seriously.

There are so many things wrong with this. First off- of course her lips are red to highlight the shape of her open mouth. Red lip stick is found in many suggestive ads. I love red lip stick. So does this mean that every time I wear red, I am asking to give a blow job... even in the form of a sandwich? Please. What's more is that she looks dead. She even looks like a blow up doll. Now we have progressed past being objectified, but now apparently, I am better being dead or plastic. That's the best kind of sexual gratification. I am kidding.

Burger King is selling women's sexual submission for $6.25; meaning that for that amount, you can do whatever the hell you want to a woman. Wow. I mean while we are at it, shove the fries in her mouth for effect. Yum. At the top of the advertisement it says, "It Just Tastes Better." Essentially, this seven inch sandwich tastes better than the real thing. This objectifies men. It tells women that this sandwich is better than sex. Hmm. I highly doubt this.

The problem of this is that the objectification of men and women is planted in the viewers mind. These kinds of pictures do not go away. They stay there- hidden in the mind. And the more you see it or ads like this, it becomes a normal part of your perception of culture. Messed up.

An ethical code of advertising needs to be created. Jean Kilbourne says that advertisers aren't selling a product, they are buying a consumer. How messed up is that? This is where Aristotle and Edmund Burke come in. Intent vs. Effect of rhetoric. This can extend into the realm of visual rhetoric. I am sure the intent wasn't meant to be offensive, just shocking enough to make the audience want to buy a hamburger; to remind people that Burger King is a great place. Instead the EFFECT is the degradation of men and women. It reduces sexual empowerment and lessons the value of liking sex. Thanks Burger King.