Is it just me, or is the term “sex sells” getting as old as the phrase “surf’s up?” CNN, being the intellectual news source that it is (ha!) reported on something quite relevant. Yes, they did a short piece on bikini-clad baristas in Seattle, Washington. Apparently, these baristas are making double and triple the usual tips because they are wearing bikinis while brewing coffee instead of um…clothes. The coffee kiosk is located across from the needle landmark Seattle is best known for.
(Click the photo to watch the video on CNN’s site.)
The first thing I felt while watching this news clip was a distinct chill. The second was an extreme sense of irritation. I thought back to my family vacations as a child and wondered how I would have felt as a little girl seeing two young women in bikinis selling their, ahem “merchandise” (pun intended). How awkward would that be, especially if my parents were around? I would wonder if that is what it meant to be a woman — that in order to double my income, I would need to “flaunt it.”
And can we bring it back to the weather? What happens when it rains? Do they accessorize with Ugg boots to keep warm? Does someone make Ugg pasties for these poor girls? It all looks pretty gloomy in the video clip.
I could go on about the continued sexualization of women. I could also comment on the body types of these women. Would they receive less tips if they were 15 pounds heavier? Does the employer discrminate against applicants based on their sizes?
Instead, I am going to encourage action. If you live in Seattle and you know the coffee stand this news story is referring to, write or call them. Tell them to put clothes on their employees! Write to your local government’s tourism department and file a complaint. What is the real attraction to Seattle? And if you’re traveling to Seattle, please don’t encourage it by going to this stand, unless you’re going to take a stand.
–A.J.
July 14th, 2008
We’re so much more than a blog and a web site! And our last volunteer meeting, on June 25, was a success! We hatched a plan: an action that takes on our culture’s obsession with weight. We’ll be teaming up with Marilyn Wann, author of the inspiring book Fat!So?, to make and demonstrate Yay Scales. You don’t know what a Yay Scale is? Here are three hints: There will be crafts, there will be a public challenging of the status quo, and hopefully, there will be media coverage. Come to the July 16 meeting to find out more and get involved!
Date & time: Wednesday, July 16, 6-9pm
Where: Western Addition, San Francisco (exact location will be given when you RSVP by e-mailing us)
Not into the whole “taking it to the streets” thing? We do lots of other activities, so there are many more ways to do great work with us.
The full announcement:
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July 8th, 2008
“Mommy, does plastic surgery make you look like a different person?” “No, it just makes you look more beautiful than you used to be.”
From my seat next to her, both of us facing the Starbucks storefront, I balked. Her reflection gave her away: tall, thin, with a tightly drawn face and deep-set eyes.
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July 1st, 2008
Lest we think that the images we see in ads are the gospel truth, here comes the blog Photoshop Disasters, featuring the most egregious blunders in digital manipulation. It features the so-called flawless retouches that accidentally defy the laws of physics and/or human anatomy. Not only is this blog absolutely hilarious, it serves as a reminder of the extent to which every ad we see is edited.
My heart goes out to Ms. Summer. However, you will see much worse on the site: extra hands, people with eight-pack abs but no bellybuttons, even my favorite here (may be NSFW). It’s interesting to note that, although PsD is a site that is open to all types of ads, photos of Frankenstein women dominate the blog. I definitely recommend visiting this site as an affirmation that, no, no one actually looks like that.
-A.I.
June 28th, 2008
I don’t know about you, but it really annoys me when ’80s cartoon characters are revamped using today’s technology. Take Alvin and the Chipmunks the movie. Modern day technology took the “cuteness” out of Alvin, Simon and Theodore and made them look all real and chipmunk-like. Yah yah, maybe its more “realistic” but I prefer them the 80’s way.
Of course nothing — and I mean nothing — takes the cake (pun intended) after what I saw yesterday. American Greetings has made a new version of Strawberry Shortcake. I’ve got a personal attachment to Ms. Shortcake. After all, I have her old lunchpail and my best friend’s mom called me Strawberry Shortcake for being short. How dare they make this new version of Ms. Shortcake with straight hair, a thinner body, and make-up? She’s more like Strawberry Short Tart! And then we wonder why we see nude pictures of teen idols like Vanessa Hudgens and Miley Cyrus. Ms. Nuevo Shortcake is targeted to a whole new generation of young girls. I can see it now. Little girls playing with their Disney Princess Collection dolls, except the threat is no longer a wicked witch, but Strawberry Short Tart threatening to take away their handsome prince and ruin their fairy-tale romance. You think I am exaggerating, but honestly, girls either have dolls that are frail and fragile waiting to be saved to play with or overly sexualized characters like Strawberry Shortcake (gosh, I never thought I’d say that!) or a Bratz doll. So is it any wonder that by the time they are teenagers they want to be sexy?
And what’s the rumour I hear about getting rid of Custard, her beloved cat? Apparently, Custard is being replaced by a cell phone. What?? That’s like making Theodore get rid of his cupcake pan for a machine gun! Okay maybe that is a bit of an exxageration, but Custard is an intregal part of Strawberry’s life (as the cupcake pan is to Theodore’s).
What’s next? I shudder to think.
– A.J.Per rendere piu avvincente la sfida, il blackjack casino online gratis e collegato ad una classifica online che funziona quando il giocatore inizia la partita con 100 crediti/ punti.
June 16th, 2008
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