United Nations Women Board is led by… not a woman
Let’s get you up to speed. United Nations Women is the combination of gender-equality initiatives within the UN, and works to oversee the operational activities “based on policy directions set by the General Assembly, ECOSOC, and the Commission on the Status of Women” (learn more about them here). The 56th Commission on the Status of Women recently happened, so while I’ve always had an ear to the ground in terms of the United Nations’ initiatives, in the past couple weeks I have been particularly thrilled with the presentations, talks, and events happening right now.
UN Women: Surprisingly, not always led by women.
So, imagine my surprise to find that the Republic of Korea’s Ambassador to the UN, Kim Sook, a man, had just been named President of the Board of UN Women. Now, don’t get me wrong, the Republic of Korea has done some great work with the UN. But in regards to UN Women, one might hope or expect that the Board would recognize the relevance of appropriate and informed leadership. And maybe, you know, appoint a woman.
America: Once we start to sexualize our M&Ms, we know something’s wrong.
Sexism comes in all shapes and sizes. It can be as prominent as the wage gap or as subtle as the words “manmade” or “mankind.” It’s important to recognize that subtle sexism is no less dangerous than sexism that is unmistakable. Sometimes, we have to focus on the tiny manifestations of sexism in order to understand how it becomes a larger, more systematic problem.
Green M&M's high-heeled, knee-high boots, luscious lips, and long, accentuated eyelashes make her a symbol of sex appeal.
This week’s culprit? M&Ms.
Shocking, I know. How can that familiar, delicious morsel of chocolate encased in a shiny candy shell be harmful to gender equality? I had this epiphany last week as I toured M&M World in New York City. Suddenly confronted with an (arguably unhealthy) abundance of M&M merch, I realized that the M&M characters are — gasp! — mostly men. 1 of the 5 original M&M characters is a woman. That’s only 20%.
Removing Disney fat-shaming exhibit doesn’t change the message
Recently, Disney jumped on the latest trend, fat shaming, and opened an exhibit at Epcot called Habit Heroes. The interactive game featured two “heroes,” the buff Will Power and Callie Stenics. Cute names, huh? Unfortunately, the cuteness stops there. Will and Callie’s virtue and worth are based entirely on their able-bodied physicality, and the villains (The Glutton, Snacker, and Lead Bottom) are labeled as evil because they are overweight.
Callie Stenics and Will Power, the "heroes" of Disney's fat-shaming exhibit.
Fortunately Disney has actually realized their mistake with Habit Heroes, and the exhibit and the corresponding web site have since been shut down, a victory to those of us who are often told, “Complaining about a problem won’t do anything.” Still, it doesn’t undo any damage the exhibit may have done.
In one part of the interactive exhibit, Will Power and Callie Stenics urge visitors to point and shoot the empty calorie foods shown on the screen such as cake, ice cream, and candy. (I wonder if some of the waffle sandwiches and funnel cakes Disney serves at the Epcot restaurants were also on that screen.)
Does eating Dove chocolate really have to involve “confession”?
On rare occasion, the media isn’t blatantly in-your-face sexist, racist, or ageist. In fact, it’s the more subtle messages, especially those which appear to be about female empowerment, that are harder to scrutinize.
Take this Dove® chocolate commercial, for example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUBchloHPmM Continue reading
Yoplait stirs up eating disordered thoughts in pulled ad
A woman has a moral/ethical/weight dilemma in Yoplait's recently revoked 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? Or…okay, I could have one large slice, and jog in place as I eat it…”
Hardy har har, get it? Women are crazy! Crazy, calorie-counting, food fetishists, riddled with anxiety and guilt! It’s funny ’cause it’s true!
Yeah, no.
Not only does this ad shame women for being such silly gluttons (even the ad’s would-be chaste dieter exclaims, “Mmm, raspberry cheesecake. I’ve been thinking about this all day!”), but it stirs up a slew of eating disorder triggers. Continue reading
Anne Taintor adds a twist to images of women
Anne Taintor is an artist who has taken the iconic images of the 1950s era and turned them upside down with just a few words, giving the classic images new meanings.
The Anne Taintor products add interestingly witty layers to the one dimensional images of the “ideal” woman. Continue reading