LG Kompressor Plus: Is it funny to vacuum someone’s fat away?
The marketing masterminds employed by LG to sell their Kompressor Plus vacuum are coming up short with this commercial attempting to showcase the superior suction properties of their product:
This clip rates high in the shock-value department, but the benefits highlighted in it are not those one would typically associate with a household vacuum cleaner. Herein lies the ad’s motive. No one truly believes that if they pick up this LG at the store that its usage will encourage a svelte shape. The real danger of it lies in its irrelevance. Continue reading
“Smart Girls at the Party” shows that smart girls have more fun
It’s not often we see girls and young women honored for their intelligence, but that’s exactly what Smart Girls at the Party does.
Smart Girls is a ten-episode web series created by actress Amy Poehler, producer Meredith Walker, and musician Amy Miles. Poehler says the show was created, in some ways, as a response to the, “lack of celebration of the unique original girl,” and to, “represent real female friends and celebrate that stage of life where you write down what you want to be when you get older, before too many people tell you no.” Continue reading
Rihanna’s “We Found Love” video draws a dangerous line between love and violence
Let’s be honest, people — as delicious as pop music is, it has some serious sexist potential. There are only so many times I can hear about “pimps” and “hos” and “smacking that” and other musical vulgarities without getting thoroughly sick of it all. Don’t get me wrong. Hating on pop stars isn’t my cup of tea — but they do make it so easy. As much as I dig Rihanna’s music, it’s about time somebody addressed her most recent hit’s top-rated music video, “We Found Love”: Continue reading
Kellogg’s Special K tells women their lives could be better, if only they were thin
Will this woman have to lose weight to gain zeal?
Given that Kellogg’s Special K basically markets itself as a diet food, my expectations for their advertising campaigns were already low. However, they have really outdone themselves with their new campaign, based around the question: “What will you gain when you lose?”
In the commercials, women stand on bathroom scales that reflect buzzwords back at them: “Joy.” “Shine.” “Freedom.” Special K’s web site for the campaign has more examples, with women holding up signs stating what weight loss will give them.
(By the way, does this scale concept remind anyone of Marilyn Wann’s body-positive Yay! Scales that About-Face has taken to the streets many times?)
Body-shaming a common theme at the Golden Globes
Melanie Griffith received a C for not being sexier
I have to be honest — I don’t watch a ton of TV. But even I am aware that on January 15, the Golden Globes were the talk of the media-inclined. Unfortunately, the articles I read are often diluted (read: polluted) by messages of sexism, attractiveness, and more often than not, body-shaming.
I’m talking, of course, about Yahoo! omg!’s annual “Let’s Rank The Attractiveness of Everyone At the Golden Globes!” Sounds like a lot of fun, right? Maybe, if your name is Charlize Theron and you can afford a “plunging Dior Haute Couture gown and vintage Cartier jewels” (she received an A). Continue reading
Concerns over body image outrank school and stress for girls in Australia
Australian high school students cite body image as a main concern
Occasionally, media critics will get told that they take advertisements too seriously, and that messages being sent through various media channels aren’t that strong or meaningful. I know I have faced this accusation many times, and have been told that I’m either over-analyzing or am too sensitive.
I’ve also been told that teens and adolescents are able to tell the difference between reality and advertisements – that, for example, girls know that lots of companies photoshop their models and that no one is that skinny/tall/busty, or has such flawless skin/hair/clothing. Continue reading
Disney’s “Sofia the First” still tells kids to be pretty princesses
Disney is adding a new member to their popular princess lineup, and she’s aimed directly at the youngest generation. Sofia, the title character of an upcoming TV movie (and series), “Sofia the First”, brings something new to the Disney table: she’s the first Disney princess who’s also a kid.
While I can’t find any sources that cite Sofia’s exact age, she is visibly younger than any of Disney’s past main characters, who have always been at least old enough to be getting married to their princes. According to Disney, the age difference is an attempt to appeal to the younger girls that make up their core audience. Sofia’s targeted demographic is the age 2-7 crowd. Continue reading
The language of rape becomes mainstream
Men's magazine, or the voice of rapists?
Right this minute, my head is spinning and my eyes are popping out of my head over two recent reports about how the insidious, disrespectful, anti-women messages of “Bro Culture” have completely infiltrated pop culture. Continue reading
Ring in the new year without body shame
Looks like that apple could lose a few pounds.
The New Year is upon us, and with it comes the pervasive, and often heavily marketed, promise of a better tomorrow. About 40% of American adults make at least one New Year’s resolution. Goals range from drinking less to reading more books, but unsurprisingly, in our body-conscious culture (in which rates of both eating disorders and obesity have risen dramatically), the most popular resolution is weight loss. A 2006 ABC News poll shows 45% of American adults cite weight loss as a New Year’s resolution — 55% of American women and 36% of American men. Continue reading
Can the Radio City Rockettes be revolutionary?
The high-kicks are ever-present in the Christmas Spectacular
The Rockettes have long been revered as a glorified group of long-legged eye-candy, but recent changes to their traditional dance numbers claim to be challenging the show’s status quo.
A recent New York Times piece “Rockettes: Rebooted for a New Era” highlights an attempted shift in the theme of the famed showcase and the function of its illustrious Rockettes. Continue reading