This is an ad for Max Factor, a cosmetics brand, and their ‘Eye Candy’ collection which debuted in 2006. Carmen Electra – a glamour model and actress who got her first break when she was photographed in Playboy magazine – models the makeup, sporting bright pink and purple eyeshadow and opening her mouth in a sexually evocative manner. The term “eye candy” generally describes something that is attractive or pleasing to the eye.

discussion

What features of this ad target women? What features of the ad target men? What features seem to be targeted towards both?

Is Carmen Electra, and by extension women who buy and use “Eye Candy,” empowered?

Does the term “eye candy” have different meanings in the ad? Does it apply to Carmen Electra, or women more generally? Does the phrase objecify women by focusing on their attractiveness to men?

What does the other text in the ad convey, especially words and phrases such as “feast your eyes,” “indulgences,” and “tempted”?