There is no denying childhood obesity is a growing concern. The CDC reports that one-third of American children and adolescents are overweight or obese. The health ramifications of an unhealthy lifestyle, especially one that begins in childhood, are severe. Seventy percent of obese minors had at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and obese children and… Continue Reading →
Fotoshop by Adobé will solve ALL your beauty problems.
Back when I was an editor at a tech magazine in San Francisco and Adobe representatives would come to demo the newest version of Photoshop, I found myself thinking, “Wow, women just Photoshop themselves every day — except it’s called makeup and cosmetic surgery.” In short, tech was imitating life. The maker of this satirical… Continue Reading →
1940s ads: Fat-shaming is rooted in skinny-shaming
I sometimes wonder if the cultural obsession over weight, physical appearance, and body-shaming is something new — something that may have emerged in the past couple of decades as a trend that will crest, and then, hopefully, diminish. Unfortunately, this hope was dashed when I came across a string of old advertisements that were published during… Continue Reading →
H&M heralds the dawn of the “virtual mannequin”
Between print media, TV ads, and virtual promotions, we media watchdogs have seen it all — rib cages, spines, cleavage, you name it. Though the women portrayed in most catalogs are typically white, unhealthily underweight, and sexualized, we could at least find solace in the fact that their bodies were their bodies — a.k.a, not… Continue Reading →
Sugar in the Raw delivers a sweet insult
Calorie-free sweeteners might sound great, but many of them are actually chemically altered, and all of them are contributing to the collective cultural goal to eventually subsist on, well…nothing. Given that, it came as no big surprise to me that one of these companies, Sugar in the Raw, has a new commercial that takes a swing… Continue Reading →
Tom Ford continues to objectify women, be lauded for genius
It seemed unlikely that anything Tom Ford could do at this point would shock us. After being named International Man of the Year by Russian GQ, he graced the cover fully clothed and surrounded by naked women, but that just made us roll our eyes and proclaim that it’s typical Tom Ford…what else would we… Continue Reading →
Miss Representation is exposing American media
[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/28066212[/vimeo]I have to be honest with you – I’m tired of seeing blog post after blog post depicting the fallacies of the media. I’m tired of reading about sexism, objectification, and disrespect. I’m tired of feeling hopeless about the state of gender representation in the media. Luckily, Jennifer Siebel Newsom’s new, edgy documentary Miss Representation… Continue Reading →
“Slip into a size sassy” and other bad advice from Special K
Some businesses relish in funny, clever, and creative advertising. They take pride in their wit and ability to connect with consumers, making them feel connected to and appreciated by the brand. In short, they have respect for the people they hope will come out and buy their products. Using that reasoning, Kellogg’s may not fall… Continue Reading →
The Tides are changing — aren’t they?
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9LTRbWsGOI&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]Cleaning product ads have an infamous rep in the feminist world for adhering to age-old gender stereotypes. Commercials featuring men doing laundry, the dishes, or cleaning house are few and far between. Commonly aimed at a middle-aged audience, these ads are disturbing – but when their sexist stereotypes directly reference young girls, their disturbing factor… Continue Reading →