Questions to Consider: * How old does this girl look? * Why is she only wearing underwear and a bra? * Is this ad sexual? In what way is it sexual? * How does the advertiser (Marc Jacobs) want you to feel? * What is this ad selling? What We Think: This ad for Marc… Continue Reading →
Gallery of Offenders: Not a person, just a butt.
Questions to Consider: * Who is the target audience for this product? * What does this product do? Is it clear or unclear? * What role does the woman’s body have in this ad? * How many recent ads have you seen which display only pieces of a model? * Why is it so… Continue Reading →
Gallery of Offenders: “A pageant girl is someone who gets on stage, smiles, and when they get off stage, they don’t [smile].” —Brooklyn, 10-year-old pageant contestant
Questions to Consider: * What are the criteria on which pageant participants are judged? * Do the girls seem to enjoy being in pageants? * What skills or lessons are the girls learning? * Why do you think Toddlers & Tiaras was renewed for a third season? What We Think: Who at TLC came up… Continue Reading →
Gallery of Offenders: How much lower can Ludacris possibly go?
Questions to Consider: * Why would the girls in the video want to dance in order to make Ludacris appear? * Does Ludacris respect these girls who are “calling” him? * What product is this video selling? * What kind of behavior is this video promoting for women? * How does this video make you… Continue Reading →
Gallery of Offenders: Victoria’s Secret: Passive Seduction.
Questions to Consider: * How is the woman in this image presented? * What body parts are most emphasized in this image? * What product is this image selling? * Who is the intended audience? What We Think: This image is problematic because the woman is posed provocatively, with the intention of being a passive… Continue Reading →
Gallery of Offenders: An Appalling (lack of) Apparel
Questions to Consider: * What product is this ad selling? * Why would American Apparel use a semi-nude model to sell clothes? * Who is this ad’s intended audience? What We Think: “Oh, hi! You caught me completely by surprise as I lay here topless, staring vacantly into the camera. But while we’re here,… Continue Reading →
Gallery of Offenders: Jillian Michaels is hazardous to your health.
Questions to Consider: * How are overweight people portrayed in this video? * How does Jillian’s training style make you feel about exercise? * What message does this video send about sensible weight loss? * How does the video make you feel about your own exercise habits? * What might the show be selling to… Continue Reading →
Gallery of Offenders: Diesel tells all to “Be Stupid.”
Questions to Consider: * What is this ad saying about women? About men? * What kind of action or attitude is this ad encouraging? * What product is this ad selling? What We Think: In this ad, Diesel is encouraging women to take actions that would gain them the title of “having the balls.” I… Continue Reading →
Gallery of Offenders: Treating animals ethically, but what about women?
Questions to Consider: * What is this ad trying to convey? * Who is this ad’s intended audience? * What does a woman’s body have to do with the ethical treatment of animals? What We Think: They may be called People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, but it’s hard to remember the last… Continue Reading →