Sex Sells... Everything!

On Thursday, the vibrant Taiwanese actress Barbie Hsu unveiled PeTA's new publicity campaign promoting vegetarianism. Targetting China's youth, the ads feature Hsu beatifically holding a tiny yellow chick, with text in English reading, "Vegetarians make chicks happy". The Chinese versions of the ads read, "Love her, love vegetarianism". The ads will be featured in fashion magazines and websites in mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong over the next few weeks to promote the benefits of giving up meat.

Hsu, better-known in China as "Big S", rose to acclaim on the hit daytime drama Meteor Garden. Hsu says, "My health has improved a lot since I became a vegetarian. ... I want to tell this good news to all of my friends, to tell them the advantages ... so this campaign is perfect for me." Hsu has not touched meat for over a decade.

PeTA's ad campaign follows up on its other high-profile global efforts involving celebrities, such as its annual "sexiest vegetarian alive" awards, which last year went to Red Hot Chili Peppers' vocalist Anthony Kiedis, and to R&B singer-songwriter (and former X Factor winner) Leona Lewis.

PeTA promotes vegetarianism not only for its health benefits, but as a way of improving the lot of farmyard animals, that it says are often brutally treated by factory farms. Vegetarianism is not a widely popular concept in China, where until fairly recently many people struggled to feed themselves, and where all sorts of creatures - some of them endangered - are considered food, to the chagrin of environmental groups. Meat consumption in China is currently booming along with its increasing economic success. PeTA is hoping the Big S campaign will appeal to the next generation of Chinese youth, who are becoming more health conscious in the wake of increasing scandals involving tainted food.

"Healthy vegetarian diets support a lifetime of good health and protect against heart disease, cancer and strokes," the group said in a statement.

"A vegetarian diet is also the easiest way to stay slim and sexy," it added.

Hsu's cause is admirable, to be sure. But how often is sex used to promote campaigns? In a world where it's become common practice to use the enticement of sex - without the fulfillment - to promote ad campaigns... but where actually selling that sexual fulfillment is deemed unacceptable, we're getting bombarded with the message that our agendas are only worthwhile when they're being used to someone else's advantage. How often is this natural, healthy aspect of our lives repurposed to sell something completely peripheral to it - and how much are we sacrificing when we're being packaged and commodified like so much ground beef? Let's take a look at how sex is being used to sell everything from coffee to vacuum cleaners, and hope that the next election won't be won by our first female president... who got elected because she posed for photo-ops in a bikini.

Starting with the least bizarre - everyone is familiar with the Victoria's Secret angels. Using sex to sell lingerie certainly makes sense. But as we'll see, it becomes an increasingly slippery slope.

Mm-mm! Nothing says sexy like a vacuum cleaner. You... do spot the vacuum cleaner, don't you? It's off over there in the corner.

When I think of toilet paper, I think of sex because... I dunno, it's soft, strong and disposable?

The caption reads, "We're just as excited as you" (This was probably because, "Sit on it" was rejected.)

Really, Volvo? Somehow, I just don't think so.  Maybe it's just that I don't usually try to sell someone a car when I get excited.

When I think of Italian coffee, I think of sex.  Yes, sex in coffee beans.  They're constantly hounding me for that over at Starbucks, the prudes.

It was certainly nice of her to just stand still while someone wrote that on her.

Balancing out PeTA's vegetarianism campaign in an oddly ironic, cosmic, karmic way, the infamous Paris Hilton Carl's Jr. ad. I guess the PR business really is a meat market.

Man, Canadia has everything. This ad shows people the healthy benefits of drinking milk.  Or at least applying it topically.

I guess sex-based campaigns are familiar territory for PeTA.

PeTA, you really need to find a better approach. Like, yesterday. I'm sure there are plenty of great ad people out there who'd be able to come up with something.

Oh look, she found his contact lens! Awesome! Now maybe he can help her wipe that odd gunk off of her leg.

Sex and real estate, now.

"Yes, come to Herald Towers. Completely furnished with very narrow single beds like these, you'll love it."

It's difficult to tell from the photo, but the bottom half of her is real.  The top is the cardboard cutout.

The Playstation 2 has a lot to advertise.  But sex?

Hello there.  Would you care to tell us your name and what planet you come from?

And here you were, thinking it was an ad for The Gap.

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