SEX and MONEY

SEX SELLS! And also stirs up CONTROVERSY.No matter where you go you are bound to come across something being sold using sexually suggestive images. In this day in age, it is a fact of life that sex sells but not everyone is okay with the whole idea. Just this past week, there was a new article about a billboard in Auckland with the words ‘Want Longer Lasting Sex?’ that people from Auckland’s Pacific Island community found inappropriate. The billboard was targeted towards people with erectile dysfunction and provided them with a number to get more information. But, the use of the word sex in big bold red print ruffled a few feathers. This is just an example of how sensitive the whole issue can be.

People around the world are making huge profits by marketing their products using suggestive images or phrases. Some are indirectly profiting from it and others are directly profiting from it. Last month, Girls Gone Wild founder and CEO Joe Francis who by the way makes an estimated $29 million a year announced the launch of an affiliate program which offers payouts of up to $35 per sign-up. The launch of this program offers yet another channel through which webmasters could earn revenue. But, because of the type of content you will be promoting it is something that could make or break a site. People have varying opinions on selling sex and to find out what people thought I started a discussion on Blogcatalog about the topic and here are some of the comments that members left:

daniel23
“Under capitalism, everything and everyone is a commodity, we all have our market price. And whether by selling our labour power as workers, or by buying things necessary (and some things not so necessary) as consumers, we all exist as part and parcel of the commodity system, of world capitalism.

“Sex then, is no different and is something that is not only marketable but aggressively marketed under capitalism (as we all know, sex sells). However, when sex is bought and sold – whether via pornography, prostitution, etc. – the left, pro-censorship feminists and some anarchists have a tendency to see this trade as somehow worse than many other forms of capitalist exploitation.”
libcom.org/library/anarchism-and-sex
I’m not sure I agree with it, but it’s an interesting perspective…

MadameX
For me it would. Given I’m not the average blog reader in many ways, but I would not visit, click ads on, link to, Digg, or in any way otherwise support a blog with that kind of affiliation.

Donlewis
Heavens! Sex in blogs??? I would immediately boycott any blog that would sink so low. And I’d return time and time again to see how the boycott is doing.

Sylvia
I have no problem with sex related topics and sites, as long as they promoted that way.

LoveCollective
Selling sex is worst of the worst. It is inhumane and cruel and animalistic.

 

Besides putting up affiliate links to various sites or products on your site people are profiting from sex in other ways with one of them being selling vintage editions of publications such as Playboy or similar on online marketplaces such as eBay.

 

With men being men and being easily drawn to sexually suggestive images and vice versa for women because they do it too (but maybe to a lesser extent?) it shouldn’t be that hard to try and make money from sex. You could stand to make a lot of money but at the same time could go bust as you may leave a bad taste in some people’s mouths if you weren’t previously involved in profiting from it. Depending on your moral fibre it could be a hard or easy decision for you to make to promote such material. This is something that is not for me because I feel uncomfortable about promoting sex and will loose a part of myself in doing so.

What would you do?

5 Responses to SEX and MONEY

  1. Terence Chang April 13, 2008 at 5:06 am #

    Gerri:

    First all, I like your new layout. It looks sharper.

    The more I dealt with sexy business, suppliers and manufactures, the more I believe sex sells.

    Back from the show in Las Vegas, I met so many retailer who are going to setup online store for SEX TOYS and novelty.

    There are many underground web site that sell just sex toys, which have made over 10 million dollars.

    Personally, I don’t mix business and personal life together. The people who sell sex toy don’t necessary to be a bad person. 😉

  2. Tiffany April 14, 2008 at 2:26 am #

    I don’t think that anyone could dispute the idea that there’s a lot of money to be made in the sex industry and related industries. That isn’t really the question, though. There is a lot of money to be made in drug dealing and large-scale dealing in stolen goods, too. The blood diamond hunters became quite wealthy. Hit men are extremely well paid. There’s more to the question than whether or not it’s profitable.

  3. Gerri April 13, 2008 at 6:30 pm #

    Hi Terence,

    I’m glad you like the new layout.

    Thanks a lot for your input. A lot of people would automatically assume that anyone selling anything to do with sex is a bad person. But you have come across people who are making a lot of money selling sex toys and who aren’t necessarily bad people. I guess it is just how they chose to make a living.

    And making over 10 million dollars! Sex really does sell.

  4. BillyWarhol April 17, 2008 at 4:29 am #

    I would just Love to have SEX Period!!

    Any Length Anytime!!

    What a Wonderful Concept!!

    ;))

    Peace*

  5. Tondy April 21, 2008 at 12:01 pm #

    Personally I feel there’s nothing wrong with selling sex, it’s a business and in business you need to break even and make a profit. Also it’s all about taking the risk, you could lose your business in doing so but in the contrary you could earn big. Everyone has sex there’s no reason to be ashamed of it, its part of life. Anywho I love the new layout and post.

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