My Letter to Carl's Jr.

Carl’s Jr. Restaurants, 

My letter is written specifically to those who produce Carl’s Jr. commercials. My name is Hannah, and I am a student at Brigham Young University. I have seen many Carl’s Jr. commercials over the years, and I have never had any hard feelings toward the company. After becoming more educated on the effects of media on human thought and behavior; however, I have learned that your advertisements are likely to have negative effects on those exposed to them. I understand the tactics behind the nature of your commercials. Sexual content is memorable and may cause your customers to associate your food with the pleasure of sex. While this may seem like a strategic move, studies show that advertisements with sexual content do not increase intent to buy. People may remember your commercials, but that does not mean they are more likely to buy your food. 

More importantly, the sexual nature of your commercials can have detrimental effects on women’s psychological well-being. Studies show that women who view images of sexually objectified women are more likely to suffer from low self-esteem, body dissatisfaction, and even eating disorders. As women are bombarded with images of models with perfect bodies, they internalize these images and believe they will never be able to live up to the standard of beauty that society expects of them. I believe that women are held to too high of a standard for beauty because of the many unrealistic images portrayed in the media. Along with an unrealistic ideal of beauty, your commercials convey the message that women’s value in society is found in their sex appeal. Your commercials only show one aspect of women, without acknowledging that women are multi-faceted human beings with thoughts and emotions. Your commercials tell viewers that women are objects, solely used to satisfy one’s sexual desires. Along with the negative effects on women, it is my personal opinion that children should not be exposed to such content. Parents are largely able to control the movies their children watch, but they have much less control over what they see on television. Children are not developmentally mature enough to handle the sexual content in your commercials. For everyone exposed to your commercials, I believe that the benefits for you do not outweigh the costs for them. 

I understand the need for entertainment to make a commercial effective, but I believe there are many ways to entertain an audience without degrading women. I propose that you simply tone down the sexual nature of your commercials. I believe that just adding more clothing for the women featured could make a significant difference. Still, I hope that you will consider other ways in which you can prevent false ideas and impossible expectations for viewers. You have the power to influence women in a positive way, and I hope that you will take that opportunity. 

Thank you,

Hannah Denney