Calvin Klein Crosses the Line.

Essay by hot_dranUniversity, Bachelor'sA, November 2005

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A chiseled man stands alone. His muscles bulge through a tight white t-shirt that subtly defines his silhouette. The positioning of his arms, hands, legs, and even the way his head is directed right at the camera, implies that there is more to this advertisement than the two words stamped across his chest...Calvin Klein.

Advertising today is very strategic and precise. As societal norms evolve over time, advertising seems to be the driving force defining what is acceptable. By using articles by Tom Reichert, Douglas Rushkoff, and the duo of William L. James and Arthur J. Kover, it is clear as to what is socially acceptable today and how advertising has impacted culture. Today's advertising shapes our culture by defining what is deemed socially acceptable because provocative advertisements are more prevalent in today's culture, advertising companies use new strategic tactics such as psychological targeting, and persuading audiences to enjoy the advertising system.

Provocative advertisements are more prevalent in today's culture because advertising agencies have strategically pushed social boundaries over time. The Calvin Klein advertisement previously described would not have been displayed in magazines twenty years ago, but as social boundaries have been pushed over time, this advertising trend has become popular in today's culture. Reichert's The Erotic History of Advertising depicts advertising strategies and chronologically orders them to exemplify how social boundaries have been pushed over time. Today, advertising manufactures images that are not supposed to provide information about the product, but promote a specific type of lifestyle. The idea that, "Lifestyle marketing appeals to those who aspire to be more than they are." (Reichert, 232) further shows that advertising is strategically focusing on people's insecurities. The advertising, "appeals to those who desire to look like the models." (Reichert, 232) and therefore pushed the boundaries further by selling...