Posts filed under 'advertising'
Designer Marc Jacobs is really rubbing we About-Facers the wrong way lately. Following on the heels of his ad showing Dakota Fanning as a Hollywood tartlet and some other ads with dead-looking women and nubile girls laying in the grass, we’ve got the newest in the series: Victoria Beckham in a shopping bag.
In this ad, Victoria Beckham (aka Posh Spice) literally becomes a product to purchase. Never mind the disembodied legs and suggestion of violence. Has she been killed and then put in the bag? or is she about to be taken home and put in the closet?
Accprding to a recent New York Times article, the photographer asked Victoria, “You’re kind of a product yourself, aren’t you?” He reports that “She was, like, ‘Uh, yeah.’ ”
We will give Marc Jacobs one little point for putting the fabulous M.I.A. on display so all can see her greatness. But that’s all. Just one point.
Thanks to Feministing.com (which you should be reading every day!) for the tip.
TAKE ACTION: Tell Marc Jacobs that you think this ad shows women’s bodies, and women, as products, and that you will not be buying his goods any time soon. Go ahead and e-mail these people: Asa Larsson at a.larsson@marcjacobs.com and Renee Barletta at barletta@kcdworldwide.com, and fax 212-966-0782.
And then remember, don’t buy any Marc Jacobs stuff.
For more bad ads and ways to talk back, check out our Gallery of Offenders (brand new update coming soon).
–J. B.
April 14th, 2008
Even the chief executive of Victoria’s Secret thinks the chain may be getting too sexy, according to an article on the Associated Press (AP) web site. This is probably a reaction to the fact that sales have been slipping. I must admit that a sly smile crept across my face as I absorbed that info. Sisters, there’s a major point about capitalism and consumer power here: If we don’t like the message a company is putting out, and we stop buying the product because of it, the company may change its message. Keep that one in mind.
On a personal note, in the last few years, walking by the super-sexed-up mannequins in the Victoria’s Secret windows make me so uncomfortable that I can’t walk in a mall with my brother, father, or hohe auszahlungstrip poker vollversion gratispoker pc game freewarepoker regeln downloadonline 7 card stud spielenwww gratis pokeronline poker macwww poker regeln deno limit texas holdem rule,no limit texas holdem,no limit texas holdem tiponline poker reviewvideo poker casinoplay omaha poker online,strip poker free play online,play poker onlineplay poker,fun game home play poker,play online pokerfree video pokervideo poker softwareplaying poker onlinetexas holdem poker,free texas holdem poker site,free texas holdem poker downloadno limit texas holdem rule7 card stud hi lowfree online poker gameonline poker gamepoker sitepoker oddsvirtual pokeronline poker downloadmerchant credit card services,credit card merchant,internet credit card merchantcard consolidation counseling credit debtbad card credit credit discover,bad credit discover cardfirst premier credit card applicationbank one credit card,bank card credit disney one,bank card chase credit oneaccept credit card merchant account0 application card credit interest,0 balance card credit interest rate transfer,0 interest credit cardamerican airline credit cardcredit card debt statistics,teen credit card debt statisticsc card consolidation credit debt program ?,credit card debt consolidation,card consolidate consolidation credit debt debt dissolveyourdebt.cominstant decision credit cardfree credit card debt management,credit card debt management,card credit debt iowa managementcredit card payment,credit card payment system,credit card minimum paymentwashington mutual credit card servicesbank card credit orchard paymentcard credit free onlinecard credit debt free livingchase credit card home pagebank card credit securedcredit card numbers,card credit discover number phone? ?,change credit card numbercard credit debt help judgmentsecured credit card applicationbest card credit studentshell gas credit cardcard comparison consolidate credit debt uncle without my face turning red. Here’s a YouTube video of what those windows look like.
The rich irony here is that Victoria’s Secret was founded in 1977 by a man who, according to the AP article, was “embarrassed trying to buy lingerie for his wife and hoped to provide a comfortable place for men to shop.”
Heck, I was shopping there 15 years ago and loved it’s little “English boutique” feel with a sexy twist. But when Gisele and the crew came around (and the catalogs, OH the catalogs! Don’t even get me started!), I felt the need to get away from it all.
Let these guys know you support their change back to their roots. Here’s how:
1) Call them at (614) 577-7000
2) Fill out this form to e-mail your comments.
– J.B.
March 18th, 2008
Once again Dove has spoken to the hearts of About-Facers. Their latest “Onslaught” commercial tells parents to “talk to [their] daughters before the beauty industry does” after showing clip after clip of advertisements, commercials, etc. parodying messages given to girls and women every day (or more acurately, every minute) by the beauty industry.
We hope you’re calling your daughter or sister or friend to tell her all about it. It’s wonderful to see an advertisement that doesn’t leave us feeling inadequate. Instead of telling us to get up and buy some product that will wipe out our bank accounts (not to mention our self-esteem), Dove tells us to take action and talk! Do it Dove. We hope you will keep it up!
–A.J.
February 18th, 2008
Bon mots abound in copyranter, a blog from an ad copywriter from NYC:
“Jugs missing Caps. Puppies missing Noses. Pillows missing Buttons. Boulders missing Crevices. Ad apparently from Mexico for Mia “seamless” lingerie. Is it a good ad? No. Why am I posting it? DUH—it’s sleazy, and I’ve got a reputation to uphold. Added note: the obvious implants contribute to the seamlessness and seaminess. related: WonderBra ad doesn’t show breasts, bra.” To see the NSFW (not safe for work), NSFL (not safe for life) ad, click here — but don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Copyranter often strikes a note halfway between thoughtful and enraged, which, given the content of some of these ads, makes a lot of sense. I wouldn’t recommend reading his (yes, his) blog if you have a problem with profanity. However, the sheer volume of ads in the archives is worth checking out.
He also says, “In the 21st century, misogyny in advertising is still rampant, rampant, RAMPANT! You wanna know why? Because many, many ad agencies are still basically just boys’ club bastions with hardly a female writer or art director in sight. Women belong at home, supervising the Roomba!” Wow! How thoughtful. And correct.
– A.I.
February 7th, 2008
My eyes are rolling so much I’m about to lose my balance. WeightWatchers takes the friendly route with their new campaign. (Warning: This link will take you to the WeightWatchers web site. Enter at your own risk.) Their web site is mosaic-ed with positive messages for women like, “Diets are mean!â€, “Di*tâ€, “Make the New Year’s resolution to not go on a diet,†and there’s a short video montage of all the messages we are bombarded with every day at the grocery checkout counter, in magazines, on TV.
The only problem? Um, WeightWatchers is a diet. Secret’s out, guys. The definition of “diet” is “a regimen of eating and drinking sparingly so as to reduce one’s weight” (Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition). They’re called “WeightWatchers.” They sell a specialized weight-loss program. Their system assigns a points system to all types of foods, based on a Core Plan or a Flex Plan. I’ve seen women dragging their WeightWatchers points booklet around with them at every meal, doing mental math to see which foods are in their points range. Sounds like a diet, huh?
The difference between WeightWatchers and other diets is that it does not restrict which foods may be eaten, only when and how much. However, it does assign food types subjective values, and sets people down a disordered path of thinking—one that makes food morally good or bad.
How about this? Let’s do as they say and not as they do. Let’s stop dieting, start living, and take action when we see WeightWatchers’ ads. Yeesh.
– A. I.
January 22nd, 2008
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