This article is about the English slang. For the single by Robbie Williams, see
Sexed Up.
Sexed up refers to making something more sexually attractive. Since 2003 it has been used in the sense of making something more attractive than it really is by selective presentation; a modern update to the phrase "
hyped up". One variant of "sexed up" is "sex it up". The implication is that no actual lying is taking place, but that
spin is being placed on certain parts of the message.
History
The phrase gained currency in the
United Kingdom on 29 May 2003, when BBC defence correspondent
Andrew Gilligan filed a report for
BBC Radio 4's
Today programme in which he stated that an unnamed source, a senior British official, had told him that the
September Dossier had been "sexed up", and that the intelligence agencies were concerned about some highly dubious information contained within it—specifically the claim that
Saddam Hussein could deploy weapons of mass destruction within 45 minutes of an order. The dubious information was used to make a case for urgent action and to justify the war with Iraq.[1][2]
Usage
"One event in particular sours many freshman orientations: sexed-up sex-ed."[3]
"Some things remain the same, but critics all say that the show was 'sexed up' by the
CW for today's audiences."[4]
September Dossier, the "sexed up" statements leading to the war in Iraq
References
^MacAskill, Ewen (September 27, 2003).
"10 ways to sex up a dossier". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2009-08-11. Close analysis shows the changes were intended to make the case for urgent action, and then to justify war
Anabila, P., Tagoe, C., & Asare, S. (2015). [
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2712187 Consumer perception of sex appeal advertising: A high context cultural perspective. IUP Journal of Marketing Management, 14(4), 34–55. (Registration required)
Chang, C., & Tseng, C. (2013). Can sex sell bread? International Journal of Advertising, 32(4), 559–585. doi:10.2501/IJA-32-4-559-585
Eisend, M., Plagemann, J., & Sollwedel, J. (2014). Gender roles and humor in advertising: The occurrence of stereotyping in humorous and nonhumorous Advertising and Its Consequences for Advertising Effectiveness. Journal of Advertising, 43(3), 256–273. doi:10.1080/00913367.2013.857621
Fraser, K,. & Taylor, E. 2012. Pretty as a picture: A study of the effects of idealised imagery in advertising on the well-being of young women.
Lull, R. B., & Bushman, B. J. (2015).
Do sex and violence sell. Psychological Bulletin, 141(5), 1022–1048. doi:10.1037/bul0000018