Source: The New York Times, May 3, 2010, bus shelters in San Francisco, CA, July/August 2010
* What is this ad selling?
* What does it mean to not be a pushover?
* What does “proactive” mean?
* How does this ad make you feel?
What We Think:
Proactiv’s new campaign has a series of ads with different female celebrities and captions like “I’m no pushover. I’m Proactiv.” I’m not sure how not being a pushover really has anything to do with having clear skin, but this campaign is empowering for women. It is powerful to have Avril Lavigne represent a company that puts out messages like “I’m no pushover,” because Avril Lavigne is a strong, independent female singer. What Proactiv is doing is moving away from ads that encourage women to be passive pushovers and they are taking the road less traveled: they are valuing women for being strong and proactive. No longer should women politely stand waiting for the world (a man?) to happen to them. Women are taking charge of their lives, they are initiating projects and making dents in society: they are Proactiv(e). (By Juliet Weintraub)
* What kinds of challenges do you think The Runaways faced in the 1970s?
* Is the music industry more accepting of women today, or are women still expected to act a certain way?
* What was unique about the band The Runaways?
What We Think:
In the age of Lady Gaga, Britney, and, of course, Madonna, it’s easy to forget that women didn’t always dominate the music charts. In fact, if you were born after 1980, you may not even realize the stifling sexism that once reigned supreme in the industry. Enter Joan Jett and Cherie Currie. In The Runaways, we get to see what it was really like for teenage girls to take on the chauvinistic music scene in the ’70s. Based on Currie’s autobiography, Neon Angel, the film takes you on the gritty journey the five-girl group took from complete obscurity, to meteoric success, to a devastating downfall. The film doesn’t go out of its way to glorify the girls’ sometimes self-imposed trials and tribulations, and you get a realistic glimpse of the consequences that go along with reckless sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll. But make no mistake: the movie isn’t a cautionary tale of what happens when trouble-making girls get to the top. Joan, Cherie, and the rest of the band persevere against intensely ingrained stereotypes to prove that women can rock hard and make history. (by Michelle Konstantinovsky)
Source: Jessica Simpson's The Price of Beauty on VH1, Episode 5
* What defines beauty in America?
* Does exposing your body make you more or less beautiful?
* What do you notice that different cultures value in terms of beauty?
What We Think:
The media loves to pick on Jessica Simpson, but there’s much more to the singer than her sometimes-goofy attitude (and once and for all, can we stop talking about her weight — whether she’s wearing daisy dukes or “mom jeans”?). Jessica hit the road with her two best friends for “Jessica Simpson’s The Price of Beauty,” which aired on VH1, and traveled the globe to explore how different cultures define beauty. In the series’ fifth episode, the gang headed to Marrakech and learned about the diverse ways Moroccan women dress — from head-to-toe coverings to cleavage-baring tops. Though the episode did include some unnecessary girl-against-girl aggression (the most liberally-dressed Moroccan woman criticized Jessica’s revealing short-shorts), it all ended on a moving note. Declaring that each country she visited taught her to “own my soul more,” Jessica marveled at how valuable inner beauty truly is. “It really is about the heart of a woman that makes her beautiful,” Jessica discovered. We couldn’t agree more. (by Michelle Konstantinovsky)
* What are some of Alice’s personality traits in this movie?
* Did Alice need to be brave to be truly herself? Why?
* Did it seem important that Alice was pretty or wore makeup in this movie?
What We Think:
Disney isn’t exactly known for its portrayals of girls that go against the princess grain. But this time, I was pleasantly surprised by the character of Alice in the recent Alice in Wonderland. She is actually multi-dimensional (not just there to look pretty)! She’s courageous! She says she’s scared, but she confronts that fear to kill the Jabberwocky, then goes “home” to Victorian England to run a business with her late father’s business partner instead of marrying his yucky son. Her job in the film isn’t to be a pawn or to let things happen to her, but to take control over her circumstances. And it’s all done rather subtly. With more characters like this, I would like us to start thinking, collectively, as a culture, “It just happens that the hero of this film is a woman.”
* How do women’s magazines typically make you feel?
* In what ways does the article from Glamour differ from images in other magazines?
* What kind of products do women’s magazines try to sell you?
* What do you notice about the different messages of magazine articles and magazine advertising?
What We Think:
Praising a big-name women’s magazine may seem contradictory (isn’t this the direct source of all those airbrushed photos and deceptive advertisements?), but Glamour magazine has become a true exception. Consistently incorporating models of all colors, shapes and sizes, Glamour has stayed true to its promise of leading a Body Image Revolution. What’s most refreshing about Glamour’s commitment to diversity is that they don’t always have to pat themselves on the back for it. When editors included a nude photo of model Lizzie Miller flashing (gasp!) an un-flat abdomen, it wasn’t for a story about properly camouflaging imperfections; it was for an article on body confidence. And the magazine routinely incorporates plus-size models and models of color, without having to name them as such or relegate them to particular, “special” articles. Plus, the September issue’s “10 Things More Important Than Those Last Five Pounds” (at right) is, in itself, worth the magazine’s $3.99 price tag. (by Michelle Konstantinovsky)
* Is Kotex’s commentary about other tampon commercials accurate?
* In what ways does this commercial raise awareness about how manipulative commercials can be? (And is this commercial an exception?)
* How does Kotex want you to feel about their product?
What We Think:
We love just about anything that self-incriminates by revealing the fakeness of advertising. Kotex’s “So Obnoxious” commercial raises awareness about how advertising can be so influential, but sometimes is so irrelevant to the product (like using a “believably attractive 18-to-24-year-old female” who is “wearing white pants” to sell tampons). The humorous “Reality Check” ad points out how tampon commercials make periods seem so enjoyable and soft and feminine (“I like to twirl — maybe in slow motion.”). An added benefit is that the commercial makes women ask themselves how they actually feel about their periods. (by Juliet Weintraub)
Produced by: Sensory Overload Productions
DVD available in Fall 2009. See the film’s web site for more details.
Questions to Consider:
* Is America obsessed with beauty?
* Do the beauty and fashion industries need to promote the thin body ideal to be successful?
* What are some mixed messages that girls get about their appearance and sexuality?
* Who decides what is beautiful?
What We Think:
In this award-winning documentary, filmmaker Darryl Roberts critically and light-heartedly tries to answer the question, “Is America obsessed with beauty?” He follows aspiring young models (and watches one crumble under the industry’s pressure). He interviews fashion magazine editors, celebrities, plastic surgeons, and everyday men and women. It’s a candid and enlightening movie that will make you feel more empowered and more aware, wondering, “Who decides what’s beautiful, anyway?” (by Kate Elston)
* How does Title Nine want us to feel about these women? About ourselves?
What We Think:
There really aren’t enough catalogs that feature strong, active, happy women. Not only does Title Nine feature positive images of active women, the captions are also empowering. Next to the “Where are you your own best self?” image, the founder’s note reads: “Here’s to finding that place where we are our best selves and spending more time there.” It encourages women to be strong, grounded, and happy. I love that the woman with the volleyball is covered in freckles. Swimsuit ads usually sell the woman’s body, but this image with the woman with the surfboard emphasizes being playful and active.
Featured in Title Nine's Mid-Summer 2010 catalog
On their web site, Title Nine describes how they use their models: “All [of our models] are ordinary women capable of extraordinary things… Here at Title Nine it’s our goal that each of our model shots represents three things: competence, confidence and joy.” I would say that they succeeded. (by Juliet Weintraub)
* How would you feel if this commercial came on after a Victoria’s Secret commercial? (How about before?)
* What emotion does the advertiser want you to feel?
What We Think:
This ad is really funny, but with a purpose — I giggled at the faux beat poetry and mock spoken-word rhythm. But then it turns out the message is really quite lovely. Here are the lyrics:
* Are women on their way to becoming perfectly constructed robots?
* Why does Svedka use a female bot and not a male bot?
* How does this ad represent women?
* What would it mean to be bought (purchased)?
* Who is the target audience of this ad?
What We Think:
Svedka has come out with a new wave of “R. U. Bot Or Not?” ads, including a TV commercial. The Svedka Bot is a woman who has been broken down to the most “essential” physical features. She is branded with SVEDKA down her leg. As an animatronic woman, she is designed to serve and she has no needs of her own. Her singular body type leaves no worries of men having to put up with a woman who falls outside the body ideal of 2033 (and today).
The “R. U. Bot or Not” tagline has three levels of meaning. First, it asks if women have achieved the body type of the Svedka Bot. Second, it asks if women have been claimed by men who have bought them a (Svedka) drink. Lastly, if men can purchase a Svedka Bot in 2033, the ad also asks if women have literally been purchased by men. (by Juliet Weintraub)
