I stumbled across this poster in a natural foods co-op in Santa Cruz–the kind of place where subversive media can be found in abundance. The poster features an image of Medusa, and the text on the poster delivers important messages regarding beauty:
Beauty must be defined as what we are, or else the concept itself is our enemy.
To see beauty is simply to learn the private language of meaning which is another’s life–to recognize and relish what is.
Why languish in the shadow of a standard we cannot personify, an ideal we cannot live?
CrimethInc.'s Beauty Subversion Poster
This poster was produced by the CrimethInc. Ex. Workers’ Collective, which describes itself as “a decentralized anarchist collective composed of many cells which act independently in pursuit of a freer and more joyous world”.
What do you think about these ideas on beauty? How are they similar or different from the ideas you are exposed to in your day-to-day life?
On a normal walk down the street in a city like Sydney, anyone would expect to see bus stop advertising featuring titillating images of women. So when I recently noticed some posters of naked women in sensuous poses, I barely even bothered to see what they were for.
But I did stop and look, and right down in the bottom corner I saw that they were for Kotex–and not just any floral-boxed tampons and pads, but for luxurious “U by Kotex Platinum” ones!
U by Kotex Platinum ad
Now that’s interesting, I thought: naked, sexualized women selling intimate products to other women.
Naked women, with their long hair flowing from semi-decapitated heads and strategically covering their nipples, following the line of their airbrushed bodies. And here I was, thinking you needed to be wearing underwear for a pad to even stay put.
The U by Kotex Platinum ads are certainly a departure from what we’re used to seeing in advertising for feminine hygiene products—for example, the fantasy of a Tampax commercial, or the sporty, active images of a Playtex ad. Usually, ads for these products involve women who show us how unrestricted we can be, even when having our period.
The new Kotex Platinum ads seem to have fallen into the mindset of the cosmetics industry, where women are shown images of unattainable beauty standards to recognize what they themselves are lacking.
Is Kotex trying to be controversial with Platinum, or is this just what they think women want to see? Am I supposed to look like that when I have my period? How are these images supposed to appeal to women?
There’s no doubt that Glee is one of the most popular television shows in recent memory. The style is flashy and engaging, and the musical performances are fun. Glee’s humor is mostly based on playing with exaggerated stereotypes—often to great effect.
But the women in Glee, without exception, are presented poorly. They either are portrayed negatively, or embody misogynist principles as positives–with no satirical commentary.
(Note: there are some spoilers about the season finale of Glee below—be warned! You can watch the finale at Hulu.com)
Let’s take a look at some of the main female characters:
Sue Sylvester
Sue Sylvester: Sue is the sadistic head coach of the school’s cheerleading squad. She will do whatever it takes to win, and has also made it her personal goal to bring down the glee club. Sue uses deception, manipulation, threats, and cheating to gain personal success and to bring down others.
Terri Shuester
Terri Shuester: Terri is a manipulative and narcissistic woman who uses guilt to get what she wants from men. When she begins to think—for no apparent reason—that her husband, Will (the glee club director), is leaving her, she fakes a pregnancy in order to ensure his commitment to their relationship.
Quinn Fabray
Quinn Fabray: Quinn is similar to Terri in many ways, most notably in her use of shame. When she gets pregnant, she lies to her boyfriend, Finn, about his paternity, and uses his guilt and sense of responsibility to cover for her infidelity. She also spies on the Glee Club for the cheerleading coach, often passing along damaging information and sabotaging the club.
Emma Pilsbury
Emma Pillsbury: Emma is neurotic, obsessed with germs and health, and never wants anyone to touch her. She is sweet-natured, but weak willed and barely able to function in normal society. To judge from the finale that aired recently, this makes her the perfect woman for the hero, Will.
Rachel Berry
Rachel Berry: Rachel is talented, intelligent, and outspoken about her principles and beliefs. However, these characteristics apparently makes her an unlikeable harpy who is merely tolerated for the talent she brings.
While many of the male characters are also stereotypical in negative ways, the two leading male characters—Will and Finn—are both presented as good, likeable men whom women manipulate and betray.
The season finale was especially frustrating. Due to extenuating circumstances, neither Will nor Finn is able to join the glee club for their performance at sectionals: Finn leaves the club entirely, and Will sends Emma to lead the choir in his place.
When the glee club gets to the competition, they discover that Sue has leaked their song list to their competition. Emma is hopeless as a team leader, and Rachel tries to rally the team, but morale still sags.
The good guys of Glee: Finn and Will
Will finally convinces Finn to rejoin the team, and he arrives just in time to save the day. Talented Rachel is given the solo to open the show, but it is only Finn’s presence that unites the team and gives them the hope to continue.
At the end of the episode, Will informs Emma that he left his wife the day before, and the couple kisses.
So,in the world of Glee, women are helpless in general, and most attractive when neurotic and obsessed, while men are the ones who must step forward with ideas and leadership.
Glee, like any pop culture phenomenon, has its power in the hearts of the people who watch it. The best way to combat the harmful images of women is to discuss them, and open the eyes of others to the damage that could be done by the show. Glee is already a popular topic in homes and offices across the country—get into the discussion!
I stumbled across the Media That Matters Film Festival web site while randomly searching for documentaries online. After browsing through the taglines of numerous films on the site, one description immediately intrigued me:
“What’s your ethnic make-up?” A young man makes a pass at a beautiful stranger and gets an eye-opening schooling on race and gender.
I was impressed and touched by each of the short films I viewed on the site, but Slip of the Tongue (2005) especially stood out because it hit very close to home.
“What’s your ethnicity?” “What’s your ethnic background?” “Where are your parents from?” “Where are you from?” “What are you?”
If I had a nickel for every time I’ve been asked these questions, I would not have to worry about paying off my college loans. Believe it or not, these are the questions most people have asked me upon meeting me for my entire life.
I understand that I’m asked out of curiosity, and I often wonder similar things about other people. But I’d like to explain that a question like “What’s your ethnic make-up?” is much more loaded when the person you are asking is a young, brown, American woman.
We may feel very proud of our heritages, but that doesn’t mean we want to be immediately defined by them. That kind of classification, especially for women and especially in the context of being hit on, feels like the all too familiar fetishization of the “exotic” woman: mysteriously beautiful, yet ultimately the strange “other”–a spectacle and a sexualized object.
The girl in the story is not necessarily mixed-race, but she still lies in the spectrum of ethnic ambiguity. Once plagued by the beauty standards that all American women face, made even more unattainable to women of color, she now explains the connections between not only race, but also imperialism, globalization, and capitalism within the conventional beauty ideals.
Like Sophie in the video “Beauty is Not How Skinny You Can Be!”, the girl in “Slip of the Tongue” reminds us that we are unique individuals. We should learn to embrace our natural beauty because our genes carry the rich history of our ancestors.
Beauty standards are simply trends marketed to make money for cosmetic industries. Covering up or altering our natural appearances to fit subjective beauty standards is, in a way, denying our ethnic roots and diverse forms of beauty.
What are your thoughts on the video and the issues it brings up?
What’s the first thing a woman wants you to notice when you meet her? Is it her smile, her eyes, or perhaps her sparkling wit or charm? Not according to Reebok–at least judging from their latest ads.
It’s no coincidence that in most of these ads, the woman herself is never seen except in bits and pieces. After all, that’s apparently how Reebok sees women: as just boobs and legs, with no pesky identity to distract from the pretty picture.
The first of these ads shows a perky young brunette who seems determined to explain the scientific basis for the benefit the shoes claim to provide, yet is constantly distracted by the cameraman focusing on her well-toned butt. Does this bother the young lady? Of course not, she is properly flattered by the objectifying gaze of the camera! After all, what woman doesn’t want to have men more focused on her butt than on a single word she is saying?
But wait–it gets worse!
Another ad shows a pair of toned legs, writhing sensuously on a bed, while the announcer recites the benefits of the new toning technology of the shoes. “88% of men will be speechless, 76% of women jealous, and 0% will know the reason is on your feet…Better legs and a better butt with every step.”
This ad simply focuses on the age-old idea of women’s self-improvement being simply another way to catch a man’s eye. Disgusting, of course, but nothing new.
But wait–it gets even worse!
The final ad in the new series doesn’t settle for encouraging objectification from men, or even jealousy from other women. No, now it’s time to make a woman’s body jealous of itself! The final ad shows a close up of a woman’s breasts, with a voiceover claiming to be the voice of the breasts. The breasts, the voice claims, are jealous of the attention that the butt is now receiving, after the unseen woman in the ad began using the new Reebok shoes:
It’s no coincidence that in most of these ads, the woman herself is never seen except in bits and pieces. After all, that’s apparently how Reebok sees women: just boobs and legs, with no pesky intelligence or career to distract from the pretty picture.
Reebok may have silenced the women in their advertisements, but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t speak up! Let Reebok know what you think by contacting them:
“About-Face stands up for every girl and every woman’s right to feel beautiful just as she is. It’s hard to realize that women aren’t supposed to, and more importantly can’t, fit into a mold carved out by advertisers and the media. I’m one person, but I feel like I’m making a difference when I tell my friends not to beat down on themselves or just quickly remind people that Photoshop…warps women. About-Face teaches girls, the targets, to reason out a defense.
“I love About-Face because its mission statement and work are clear-sighted and completely attainable. About-Face recognizes that advertising is slipping into every niche of life, and it’s there to help girls stand strong against negative media and protect their senses of self-worth.”
Dan Dworkin >> Director of Safety & Technology at The Hamlin School, San Francisco
“About-Face is a terrific organization, and one that I deeply believe in. About-Face works with the idea of self-acceptance and celebration, something that needs to happen more for kids. Too often children look at themselves in terms of what they’re not, and it must be turned around so kids look at themselves as what they are while not comparing it against a standard of ‘media beautiful’. About-Face is a needed voice in the media and message bombardment that impacts youth each day.”
Jada Irvin >> age 16, About-Face intern
“About-Face is important to me because I got to see firsthand the different ways media can affect girls, and my experience taught me a lot. It’s so important for About-Face to continue doing this because I feel like it’s a great way to make sure that women and girls can feel beautiful about themselves without the need to live up to society’s standards.”
Nomi Dekel >> MA, LMFT
“As a psychotherapist who specializes in body image issues, I work with clients who are suffering the fallout from years of being exposed to negative imagery and language about the female body. The work being done by About-Face increases the possibility of women not needing body image support groups later in life. What a day that will be!”
Annice Ormiston >> About-Face workshop leader and doctoral student in clinical psychology
“As a woman and a therapist to women, I see the impact of the media and fashion industries every day in the assault they launch on every woman and girl. I loved the chance to put my passion into action and engage with girls and young women around these issues. Watching our participants start to critically question the messages they receive and dare to embody more self-confidence about themselves and their own bodies was truly inspiring!”
Now it’s your turn! How do you feel about About-Face’s work? Please show your support by sharing your thoughts and feelings.
I stumbled across this poster in a natural foods co-op in Santa Cruz–the kind of place where subversive media can be found in abundance. The poster features an image of Medusa, and the text on the poster delivers important messages regarding beauty:
