In the wake of the Don Imus firing, I found this video about the images of women in advertising. It isn't short, but I hope it is an eye-opening 35 minutes for those who have never really thought about these issues, or taken them seriously.
I remember the Swedish Bikini Team from the 1980's and I was one of only a few women I knew who found that "buy a beer, get a broad" advertising highly insulting. And what did the men tell me? To get a sense of humor. As I've already said, it wasn't funny then, and it still isn't funny, and for men to say women should just lighten up shows how little respect we really get. No need to tell me things are changing, there are still damn few ads that objectify men the way they do women. Anyway, the video pretty much lays it out. This is the third one Jean Kilbourne has done, and it's sad to see how little progress has been made.
Monday, April 16, 2007
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As for "lightening up," how many guys do you know who get up tight about those TV commercials featuring the clueless husband obediently receiving instruction from his clever wife on how to sort darks from lights in the laundry, or whatever; or the endless stream of sitcoms featuring the same dopey husbands/fathers?
ReplyDeleteThe characterizations are not accurate in the sense that one can generalize fairly about them, and apply them universally, although they may play to and reinforce women's frustrations with getting their men to see things their way.
From one point of view you might see the inclusion of attractive/sexy women in men's beer commercials as playing on another stereotype, where what all men think about or respond to is "beer and broads."
Both stereotypes are unfair when they're applied, straight-faced and dead serious, across the board, but they correspond to characterizations that derive from the lowest common denominator.
By the way, I can't view the video from where I write this at present. I hope to check it out later.
ReplyDeleteC'mon, no need to be so defensive. This sounds like PopPop whining that men get breast cancer too. For crying out loud, get some perspective Dad.
ReplyDeleteAnd you have to admit that those kinds of commercials where the men are the butt of the joke are far fewer than the ones about women. Always have been. I suspect men don't get too upset by them because they don't have any real impact on their lives. It isn't the same for women, we don't control the government and the major corporations and the advertising dollars. For every one commercial you might be able to dredge up, I can probably come up with 100 or more. And if you haven't grown up under that cloud, it isn't something that can really be explained, although the video does a pretty good job.
I don't feel especially defensive. Perhaps, it's just curious to us "chauvinists" that it seems such a big deal. I'm sure that there's something to it. I just don't fully get it. I'll check out the video before making any more remarks, except that marketing people seem to have concluded that Sex Sells, both men and women. Maybe that's a separate category.
ReplyDeleteI never thought of you as being one of the chauvinists, though I remember that we never quite agreed on this particular topic. You are one of those anomalies who can get a kick out of the sexist commercials without then turning around and expecting the women in your life to be the mother/cook/maid/whore that many men do expect. But you do need to remember that you are the exception, not the rule, and it isn't incumbent on you to defend the jerks.
ReplyDeleteI hope you'll appreciate the video.
Great video! For every woman that gets fired up about all this, there are 100 other woman laughing all the way to the bank after a night of dancing or modeling! Everyone knows what's going on and sometimes woman are their own worst enemy.
ReplyDeleteNow, for my real comment.
ReplyDelete1. Will someone erase MY pores???
2. This subject is something I find hard to get a handle on.
3. When woman were considered the fairer sex, doors were opened and hats were tipped. Woman became the unfair sex when all that stopped. What were woman thinking when breaking the glass ceiling became a goal? It has become a runaway train with men fighting for the position of engineer ever since. Back to the old days of be quiet, be pretty and obedient and you may snag yourself a rich man.
4. With some nipping, tucking, lasering, implanting, capping, waxing, hairstyling and nailsaloning and all the other ing's, a truly beautiful person on the inside, not unlike myself, can have it outside too and inherit the earth! That's a concept that's bought into, and I'm a target. Yippee!!!
6. Mr. Bill, my champagne glass is empty, bring me some fresh bonbons, come be a dear and rub my feet, my show is on soon and you know I need my beauty rest and because I have my microdermabrasion mask on, and my nails are still wet. Can you get another job? I think I want a maid so I'll have more leisure time. Maybe make that 3 jobs, so we can hire a cook and personal assistant. Honey, with all this labor of looking so beautiful for you, I have my hands full. No, don't touch my hair I just had it done, can we play later? Oh, and I'd like to switch out my caravan now that the children are grown. How about a little pink Sportster. Hun?
7. Hollywood ... my kind of town.
8. Did I skip #5? Blame it on the rain.......... If I was more lovely I wouldn't have to think for myself.
I forgot ... April 16th,
ReplyDeleteHappy Emancipation Day!
God! Tbhat's some scary stuff you're thinking there, Key Dear.
ReplyDeleteGotta take my time. Gotta avoid all those typppos.
ReplyDeleteWe aren't the typo police here, I hope. I confess that I do correct mine when I catch them in posts, but we can't go back and edit comments, so they lie where they land. Oh well.
ReplyDeleteAnd as a refresher for anyone who might have missed it, we posted one of the Dove ads a while back...
ReplyDeletehttp://bendingourelbows.blogspot.com/2006/10/evolution.html