Why food is forever associated with sexual images, I will never fully understand. Above is an old McDonalds advertisement for the Ranch BLT using the tag line "So good, it's almost embarrassing". The image, a rather obvious picture of a man having 'lustful thoughts' about the sandwich and the tagline hinting twoards self-pleasurement. The only real guilty pleasure with eating such a sandwich is the high amount of fat and calories that one would be consuming. This particular ad however, puts the emphasis wholey on the fact that it's taste is something to fantasize about.
Focusing on the man in the picture he appears to be in his mid-twenties, for the most part, clean shaven with a bit of stubble, and altogether average. His facial expression is one of distant thought, the drooling mouth attributes to the idea that he is fantasizing. However if you were fanatasizing about a McDonalds sandwich, that alone would be embarrassing enough, much less having 'lusturous' thoughts about it. The target audience is most likely for young adults who are looking for the next taste indulgence. I suppose that the ad is trying to allude to the fact that the sandwich's taste is so pleasureable that you will fanatsize about it long after it has been devoured.
One of the most important details however, is the wording in the bottom left corner. Notice how none of it is about the lettuce or the tomato or any of the health facts. It only attributes to the argument that it tastes good. They in no way try to cover up the fact that it is probably one of the worst possible choices on the menu, what with bacon, ranch, and breaded chicken. Times have changed in these six years and now advertising natural, fresh, and healthier aspects of a meal item have proven more affected. Perhaps it's because we have become a society of health-nuts, leaving or naughty food thoughts to our dreams.
