When I read about media multi-tasking, or the act of using multiple screens at once, my mind jumped to a vision: a child watching the images of an advertisement on a muted television screen–“dial this number for weight loss supplements!”—while hearing a commercial between songs on Pandora—“stop by for our new double bacon Hawaiian burger”—while… Continue Reading →
Chick Beer: because those other beers are for dudes.
OK, so we all know that beer marketers have a terrible history with selling their products to women. Mostly this isn’t a huge problem for me because the Big Two brewers who get the most air time (MillerCoors and Anheuser-Busch) make terrible beer that I’m totally OK not being sold. You keep your Coors Light, really, I… Continue Reading →
Contest: design an empowering billboard for NYC!
You know those terrible American Apparel billboards? Or those totally skeezy, greasy Calvin Klein ones? Or any of the ones that basically make women out to be sex toys? Do you hate those? Take action! SPARK Summit, in conjunction with Women’s Therapy Center Institute and Endangered Bodies, are sponsoring a billboard design contest seeking positive,… Continue Reading →
On banning ads, photo-retouching, and (shock!) personal responsibility
In the wake of the big news that the MP Jo Swinson and the British Advertising Standards Agency has fabulously banned two ads by L’Oreal (owner of Maybelline and Lancome) showing Julia Roberts and Christy Turlington, I’m starting to think about how we — everyday women and girls — can help ourselves out of this… Continue Reading →
Annoyed with sexism? Milk says it’s just your PMS!
Jokes about PMS are so old and not funny that I almost didn’t even want to bother addressing The California Milk Processing Board’s latest campaign, a multi-media venture that features clueless men offering up half-hearted fauxpologies and gallons of milk to their apparently rage-absorbed, PMSing girlfriends and wives. The premise of the campaign is that… Continue Reading →
Skechers wants girls to “Shape-up”
Were you thinking that advertisements for girls’ shoes are a little lacking these days? Were you looking for some added weight-loss pressure in the way that they’re marketed? Yeah, me neither. Nevertheless, Skechers now carries Shape-ups for girls (ages 7 to 12). Unlike other childrens’ shoes, these Shape-ups feature a rounded sole intended to shape… Continue Reading →
Yoplait stirs up eating disordered thoughts in pulled ad
“Ohhh. Cheesecake.” So begins a gross and disturbing peek into the female psyche, as imagined by the people of Yoplait. “Okay. What if I just had a small slice? I was good today, I deserve it! Or, I could have a medium slice and some celery sticks and they would cancel each other out, right?… Continue Reading →
Naomi Campbell considers Cadbury chocolate ad racist
So, Naomi Campbell is not exactly known for rational behavior. But is the supermodel right to consider chocolate company Cadbury‘s newest ad campaign racist? UK ads for Cadbury’s Dairy Milk Bliss bars feature a Bliss bar perched atop a mound of diamonds, accompanied by the slogan, “Move over Naomi, there’s a new diva in town.”… Continue Reading →
Young Australian artist won’t be sold insecurity
West doesn’t buy into the ubiquitous images advertisers use to sell a female standard of beauty. Talk about attention-grabbing. While walking to work in Sydney, Australia, I came across a bus stop advertisement for swimwear that had been plastered with a sticker. “Let’s pretend it’s an ad for swimwear!” the sticker declared, with the small… Continue Reading →