Bridget Carrigan
CMC100
Fall 2011
Paper 1
Comparing Sexuality in Cosmopolitan and GQ
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My topic examines the comparison between sexualized images addressed toward women
in Cosmopolitan and men in GQ. While Cosmopolitan continues to make women feel more in
power with men and more dominant in relationships with their ads, GQ reinforces the more
traditional standard of power through their advertising choices. I want to compare the traditional
views of masculinity and femininity that are apparent in the advertisements in GQ to the modern
images representing a new-found sexual power for women in Cosmopolitan. While there are
distinct differences in many of the ads directed towards men in GQ, and the advertisements for
women in Cosmopolitan, the ads have clear themes of sexual power and through comparison of
magazines of a similar demographic but opposite gender, these themes are highlighted more
effectively.
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Sex sells. Whether a young male, or an old female, almost everyone has sex or wants to,
therefore it appeals to the masses. It is no wonder why advertisements constantly revolve around
sex. Magazines like Gentleman’s Quarterly (GQ) and Cosmopolitan (Cosmo) are filled with
advertisements selling products sexually to make a consumer more likely to purchase it. The
fascinating part of this is the different approaches GQ uses for men and Cosmopolitan uses for
women to make products more appealing. While GQ takes a more traditional approach to sex,
men are dominant, and women are objectified, Cosmo takes a more modern approach, focusing
on female over male dominance, women’s independence from men, and the view of female
sexuality. In contrast to each other these themes of sexual dominance and independence are
much more apparent. This is especially true when the same ads are put in Cosmopolitan and GQ
because the themes in the ads of the magazines are so different.
Seventy-three percent of the fragrance ads in Cosmo and GQ in November 2011, are of
couples barely dressed or in a sexual situation. In one GQ ad for Guess Seductive (reference GQ
image 3), the muscled masculine man is partially dressed and the woman appears to be entirely
naked. It implies that he has the sexual dominance because as the ad alludes to, he smelled so
good she needed to take her clothes off, then his. He is also front and center, with eye-contact
with the camera, taking up the majority of the frame while she simply accessorizes him on the
side, showing his masculine dominance while she undresses him. This tells men that if they
purchase the cologne they can have a naked beautiful woman hanging off them too. GQ Image 6
is similar in the sense that the man is in control while the woman physically leans on him for
support. In both of these ads, the women are sexualized through the fact that they are wearing
less clothing and the men’s eye contact with the camera keeps the viewers focus on them.
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When comparing these fragrance ads from GQ to the one in Cosmopolitan of Villain by
Ed Hardy (Cosmopolitan image 5), it can be shown that there is a shift in roles between the man
and the woman. The woman is more dressed than the man this time and is in the front and center
of the page, while he is sexually objectified, naked next to her. The message this sends to women
is not lady-like or traditional at all. It implies through its slogan “It’s good to be bad” and the
focus on the woman that she has just been a bad girl and has taken charge sexually. While this
fragrance ad is for both men and women, the ad is directed more towards young women who
want to be bad like the woman in the ad. Seventy-one percent of the ads in Cosmo have themes
of female dominance and only eleven percent of the ads have any indication of male dominance.
Another fragrance ad showing sexual dominance appeared in both GQ and Cosmopolitan
in November 2011 (Cosmopolitan Image 6) . Within the context of each magazine, the Calvin
Klein fragrance ad had entirely different meanings depending on the male or female readers. For
the women reading Cosmo, the ad told them that if they bought it for their man, he would fawn
over them, try and seduce them, and/or gaze adoringly at them, while they could do as they
please. Because the woman is looking at the camera and not at her fellow, it implies to women
that she could have him if she wanted to but it is ultimately her decision. This contrasts
completely from how it is construed in the context of GQ.
In the context of GQ, gazing at the image from a male perspective, it seems like the
woman is in a “euphoric” state. Sixty-nine percent of the ads in GQ reaffirm traditional standards
of masculinity like strength, power, and control and femininity like delicate, pretty, and flowery.
The woman has flowers near her hair, is wearing a gown, and by the position of the couple it
seems they are about to engage in sexual activity. The physical position of the couple implies
that he has sexual dominance. The ad has the implication that if a man wears that scent, he can
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get a feminine beautiful woman like that, and can do things like that to her. Such details in the
ad, make it possible for either men, or women to find evidence of sexual dominance. This
ambiguity is one of the most effective ways a company can advertise; by creating an image that
can be interpreted by men or women as sexually pleasing, they do not alienate any potential
consumer.
An ad for Sky Vodka also is ambiguous in its target audience and appeared in both
magazines (GQ Image 6). Similarly to the Calvin Klein fragrance ad, this Sky Vodka
advertisement has different connotations in either magazine. When looking at it from the male
perspective in GQ, the phallic bottle between the sexy red boots absolutely implies sex. Thigh
high boots are typically reserved for strippers and prostitutes, and the color red has connotations
of passion and being “bad.” When looked at from a women’s perspective, and in comparison
with other ads in Cosmo, the theme of independence outweighs the sexual tones. While there is a
male reference with the phallic shape and sexual positioning of the bottle, it also exerts a theme
of sexual independence through the fact that there is no actual man in the ad, so the woman is
being sexy for herself, not for anyone else. It is this type of sexual independence that challenges
the traditional view of “femininity.” This picture can show that a woman can be passionate and
sexy and not need a man to be with her and yet say that vodka is passionate and sexy.
Another comparison of sexual dominance and independence in advertising is through the
Belvedere Vodka “Trust Your Instinct’s” ad campaign. There is a different version of the same
ad in GQ and in Cosmopolitan. (GQ Image 4, Cosmo Image 1). The image from Cosmopolitan
has an advertisement of a girl in control of her night. She is already blindfolded but has her
hands free which shows her freedom and has her friends pictured smaller behind her, showing
her independence from those around her. She is the main subject, front and center .
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In the GQ version of the ad, the girl loses all control. Her hands are no longer shown,
possibly being tied behind her back, and she is in the process of being blindfolded by a man.
Because the man is in the process of blindfolding her, it puts him in a position of power, unlike
the Cosmopolitan version where the man is present but in the background. The simple difference
between the two ads changes the meaning entirely. Instead of a independent “Cosmo-Girl”
having a night out with her friends, the ad from GQ implies a classic male-female dynamic,
where the man has power over the woman. This is exemplified through the literal process shown
in the picture where the man limits the woman’s ability to see implying that he will guide and
lead her like a man “should.”.
The Old Spice ad in GQ perfectly shows what it means to be “masculine” through a
picture of a nerdy man with his inner rock star showing and the copy “Somewhere in there,
There’s a man in there… Smell better than yourself” implying that only men who wash with Old
Spice will be considered a “man” like the muscular, kiss covered, rock star, who has a bikini top
hanging off his guitar. This advertisement plays to the idea that even nerdy guys with glasses can
be rock star, man-whores if they buy Old Spice. If this advertisement had been placed in Cosmo,
it would not have been nearly as effective not because Old Spice is marketed to men but because
the ironically “feminine” characteristics. The rock star having feminine characteristics like long
hair, nail polish, jewelry, and make-up are only ignored by men because of the overly sexualized
appearance of the rock star. While the rock-star is cool from a male perspective, he is not sexy
from a female’s even though he is covered with “evidence” of being “sexy” like kisses and a
bikini top. These pieces of evidence proving his “masculine sexiness” show that monogamy is
beneath him, and that he can hook up with as many girls as he wants to, a message that can be
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seen through advertisements in history. While this is a very common approach to advertising, the
Summer’s Eve ad in Cosmopolitan has a different approach.
Summer’s Eve still implores you to buy a product because it will make you something
better, however it toys with the idea that men need to “Hail to the V,” a totally different
advertising approach and slogan. By saying that more than Helen of Troy’s face launched a
thousand ships and burnt the topless towers of Ilium, this advertisement is telling readers that the
“V” should always have been and be hailed. It is amazing that an ad that looks so typically
historical can have such sexual meanings. This advertisement empowers women by inadvertently
saying that vaginas should be worshipped by penises, when so many ads are directed towards
women doing things for men and men getting worshipped by girls.
This approach of switching perspectives is also used by Pinnacle Whipped
(Cosmopolitan Image 3), however they mimic the sexuality typically seen in advertisements
overtly unlike the Summer’s eve ad. The man without his shirt could have easily just walked off
the Dolce and Gabanna (GQ Image 2) photo shoot and taken his glasses off before he got
“whipped” by his girlfriend. The comparison of an ad of a sexy man doing housework, while the
woman relaxes on the couch, and the D&G ad from GQ of a sexy Clark Kent type exemplifies
the differences between the ads in the magazines, and the differences in messages that the ads are
sending.
Through amounts of clothing, model placement, copy, location, and images, GQ and
Cosmopolitan exemplify opposite sexual themes relating to men and women as well as showing
the clear similarities in themes in their pages. While both succeed with selling sex, ads for
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women in a woman’s magazine like Cosmo focus more on female independence and dominance
while advertisements in men’s magazines like GQ reinforce traditional views of sex and power.
On my honor, I have not received, nor given nor witnessed any unauthorized assistance on this
work.
Bridget Carrigan
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