sex sells

proverb

The use of sex appeal is a successful marketing tactic.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

proverb
  1. The use of sex appeal is a successful marketing tactic.

    [Mark] Borkowski said: “Sex still sells. And her sexuality, the outrage, the culture war argument gets you one thing: enormous reach.”

    2026 September 14, Sean Ingle, “‘Sydney Sweeney, this is what women in sport look like’: female athletes spark backlash against viral advert”, in The Guardian, →ISSN
    1 more example

    Victoria's Secret, the American retailer that once parlayed a “sex sells” strategy into a $7bn-revenue-empire of underwear, is heading back to TV screens.

    2023 September 30, Chantal Fernandez, “Changing the formula”, in FT Weekend (Life & Arts section), London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 5

Rhymes & wordplay

Sounds the same

sex cells
Cite this entry
APA

sex sells. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sex%20sells

MLA

“sex sells.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sex%20sells. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sex sells,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sex%20sells.

Source: sex sells on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.