"It was commonly accepted that one 'shopped' for sexual products in the same way one 'shopped' for courses at Yale, and that race and ethnicity was a serious category on which selections were based."
Biologically, this makes complete sense. Everyone is ultimately a brand. Through the choices we make, everything from appearance, intelligence, ideology, etc., we cultivate an image, an identity that we present to the world. Some of the aspects of our design are shaped by genetics and cannot not necessarily be altered, by race and gender. With the amount of exposure one can have in his lifetime free to reach great heights, its important for us to stand out. The advertising I predominately consume is hyper sexualized, and there is only one gender involved. Being of persian Indian descent, I used to but not anymore wonder if I was a desired race. There is an emphasis on physical appearance that all ethnicities of men included share, but obviously most of the ads are dominated by whites. The male models I see in fashion ads all share the more refined and beautiful of western masculinity. High cheek bones, slender noses, wide eyes, and strong jaw lines for the face. Tall, lean muscles, toned body, perfect abs, wide chest and much more.
The image above is of Cas, a model and good friend of mine. His pictures in his portfolio are ideal, they embody a number of aspect of the male beauty in fashion advertising. The picture got my attention. After watching so many seasons of America's Next Top Model, I have learnt a multitude about high fashion modeling. Tyra Banks has taught viewers much about the industry as she finds that 'one'. That one is what everyone desires. Cas is that one. He's also Japanese, which I never could of guessed. This brings me back to my point of race being a reason for consideration when determining who is attractive, but physical appearance is the deal breaker. Those who have those qualities becomes desired, they become aware of this and improve their image or 'brand'.
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