...At least it's not selling used fords. We are talking about BMW, here. I'm guessing that the ads are running in men's magazines, not Family Circle. And the general gist of the ad is "Hey, who cares if you're not the first, this is going to be terrific". Personally, I object more to the general use of sexuality to sell cars (which is, sadly, nearly universal) than to any comparison to women and high quality cars. The comparison has been made so many times, this is nothing new - it's just a bit more blatant.

BTW, when is the last time you heard anybody refer to a car as "he's a beauty"?

When you can have an experienced (teenage) lover?

Carmakers use sex to sell cars. No news there. I thought the ad was kinda witty, personally.

Carmakers use sex to sell cars. No news there. I thought the ad was kinda witty, personally.

...about being "first" in either case?

Follow the links to see all the detail of the ad; the URL goes to the Greek BMW web site.

I doubt BMW execs would consider this appropriate in the USA market.

Definitely, a classy ad :-)

Fred

I'd like to shift her into third gear!

I'd like to lube her drivetrain!

I'd like to realign her valve tappets!

But seriously, folks, take Andrea Dworkin... please!

I'll be here all week! Tip your waitress! Whoops, I mean "waitron"!

I have to agree with James Kirk that this preowned enticement appears to be a 14-year-old who just had a makeover party with her friends.

I don't even want to know about the targeted demographic here, though I suspect you can find some of its members on your local sex offenders list.

I have rarely had a visceral reaction to advertising, but this one makes me want to throw up.

Give it up, you might say. Not everyone agrees with your nonsex. No matter how hard you try to make the world a non-sexual place you will have no effect. When you succeed man will become extinct. It is a hard wire part of the brain and no amount of anti-sexual comment will change things. Americans are the most prudish of all the world get over it and live a little. I didn't see virgin anywhere except in your words, and analysis. All men know that a woman can make an issue out of anything. You have gone way to far the backlash is due. Burkas for all women now! then maybe you will feel comfortable about yourself. See a therapist or get a date and loose it.

Sex and car go together like cylinder and crankshaft, but why do we need for have Lolita for sell car to Humbert Humbert demographic when female is often in driver seat for new or used car purchase?

Ad like this make Svutlana engine overheat, and no in good way. It just no make good MBA sense!

That phrase says more about your own sad views of sexuality, than the advertisement you're critiquing.

Sex/auto references are at least as old as Robert Johnson songs from the early thirties. And that road runs both directions, feminist knicker-twisters. Bessie Smith wasn't talking about reptiles in Black Snake Moan. It is borderline that they chose a model who, as Chuck Berry wrote, is too cute to be a minute over seventeen. And women aren't necessarily used; some are merely experienced, and that's a good thing. A very good thing.

We are actually "hard-wired" towards racism (and classism, sexism, able-ism, age-ism, and all other unpleasant -ism's as well), but this does not mean we shouldn't work on recognizing the ways our brains deceive us about the world and create dissonance with our values/moral ideals. The evolutionary argument fails on that level - we do plenty that goes beyond our simple programming, we are more than the sum of our parts, and thank god for that. We don't lose our humanity by rising above these quick-and-dirty attempts to categorize, we gain it.

And the hostility lobbed at Clark-Flory for even addressing this issue just shows how internalized sexism has become. To even note its ubiquitous presence is to risk being labeled humorless, a feminist, or a woman in need of getting laid. Nice. Let's think for a minute about why that is, since it seems to be the consensus of most of the commenters that there's no harm against women in this ad (and perhaps not even more broadly - we're fine, why don't we just shut up and enjoy our equality). If so, though, why is there so much hostility in these comments? Why did the mere suggestion that this ad offends cause such denigration of the offended party? This is a much deeper issue and deserves to be explored as such, not dismissed with caustic quips.

Personally, the ad seems like to me to suggest that just like this woman is not "used," a previously driven bmw is not "used" either. I mean, a rational man may have many reasons not to sleep with a beautiful woman, but the fact that she has slept with other people is most certainly not one of them. So, I think what they are implying is that, you may have rational reasons not to buy a previously driven bmw, but the fact that it was previously driven should not be one of them. Now, if you have a problem with the fact that they are using sex to sell a car, that is a completely different, and more pervasive, discussion.

Also, does anyone else think that dan nil is nuts? He reminds me of Sean Connery in his interview with barbara walters, which can be seen here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=3FgMLROTqJ0

does the model look to be barely sixteen?

If so, though, why is there so much hostility in these comments? Why did the mere suggestion that this ad offends cause such denigration of the offended party?

First off, this is the internet, you can't assert that 2+2=4 without somebody making a sarcastic comment. That being said, I think you're imagining a lot of hostility that isn't present. TCF is showing more hostility in her post than the comments here in the letters are responding with.