Hey, Did You Hear? Advertising Still Demeans Women.
Alex Leo over at HuffPo wrote a post on five sexist trends the ad world just can't shake. The following tropes "use stereotypes and violence to prey on our most vile desires" -- and probably aren't going anywhere, despite "cultural outrage" and "personal boredom."
The list (in far less detail than Leo provides):
o Bondage. One awesome example is the ad at left, for Remy Martin's "Things Are Getting Interesting" campaign. Experience has taught us naughty domina girls sell more than liquor, however; they also push PSPs with whip-cracking finesse.
o Rape. Illustrated by this ad by Dolce & Gabbana -- which I think had more of a "gang-bang" in mind than a "rape," per se. It's a feathery-fine distinction.
o Sluts. Lovin' the shameless BMW ad used in this example. It's so Gossip Girl! And we can definitely attest to the prevalence of sluts in ad culture. Whatever Lola wants...
o Girl-on-Girl Action. Yeah, baby, yeah!
o Cum Shots. No, baby, no.
Cool list, highly recommended idle reading. But Leo forgets a handful of our favourites: the voyeur, the coquette, the perpetual innocent, and the girl gone bad. (See graduates of Disney.)
As a culture, we've also come a long way in terms of building effective stereotypes for men. So come on, creatives, broaden your horizons to an increasingly-self-conscious XY populace. Ammo in? Then take aim -- and three cheers for gender parity!
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Creative Commentary, Opinion
Comments
"...most of the ads (not available online) have men between the two women in controlling positions. And even without that, these women are obviously putting on a show for an outsider, not having a passionate lesbian love affair for themselves."
Well, yeah. But isn't that ALL lesbian couples?
(Seriously, the bondage one is a bit of a stretch, and the insinuation is pretty demeaning in its own right.)