A Place Out West

Last summer I worked at a media company in Downtown Dallas. The focus of our work was selling billboards to clients in the greater Dallas/Fort Worth, Tyler, and Louisiana areas. Even though we put up the billboards, we had no control over what information was on the billboard. In other words I saw that anything really does go for advertising. Although there are restrictions where to post these billboards (i.e. all billboards pertaining to alcohol or tobacco had to be at least 10 miles away from a school district), there were really no restrictions on the wording. Anything goes, and by anything, I mean absolutely anything and everything. It's widely accepted that "sex sells."Whether it be the subtle hidden message of ice trickling alongside a glass of Jack Daniels or in this case, the blatant view of a woman's backside, sex is the key to catching a consumer's eye. Sadly. The woman's short shorts, being larger than the actual text of the ad, proves where the eyes are supposed to be directed first. Although a child may not understand this ad, an adult definitely will. Maybe it's a man driving down the highway, wanting some excitement or quite simply a change in his life.  Being attracted to this ad, he may see Texas as its opportunity. Yes, even paralleling "sex" with a brown, flat, dirty piece of land can make even the Lone Star state seem appealing. The majority of us who see this ad may gasp in shock. Or laughter. Or both. I personally thought of the Dixie Chicks' 90s hit song, "Wide Open Spaces."  Ironically as the original song goes, " It takes the shape of a place out west." Well by looking at this billboard, one can say that Texas definitely has taken on a new shape.