What's Progress?

This disturbs me. A young woman portrayed to look even younger, holding a teddy bear, being "sexy". This is a vintage ad that makes sex symbols out of children to sell a perfume. How awful! What's worse is that people refuse to think ads like these are still around because women have come so far! False. There are ads everywhere that continue to make sex symbols out of women to sell their products. I guess that's because sex sells, but only because we let it. This ad made me curious to find other vintage ads like this one. I came across It's Guy Code, a blog, that had posted Ads that Degraded Women. The post was full of vintage ads like this one that showed how women were degraded "back in the day" (notice the past tense degraded in the title and not the present tense degrades). I was startled by other ads such as:

And what's worse it there were more that shocked me. After seeing all of these ads and being well aware that women are sexualized in advertising to sell products, I began searching for ads today that mimicked the "vintage" ads to prove that just because they are vintage, doesn't mean the concepts have been laid to rest.

There's a lot wrong with these ads. The worst part of these ads are the fact that we see everything wrong and degrading about them, but they have stuck around for decades because we continue to buy the products. Women are degraded every day in the media, in the workplace, and sometimes at home. Outside of that, what do these ads say to young girls? That you have to grow up to be sexy. The first ad showing the comparison between a vintage ad where the man is stepping on her head is no different than the caged woman in the bebe ad. Women are to be seen but not heard, sexy, and locked away until their presence is needed. The burger king ad sexualizes a sandwich, the men eating it can compare the taste to oral sex... doubtful. However, I'm sure the sandwich was a success amongst men.

In class we often talk about seeing these ads and pointing out everything wrong with the ads. They're everywhere. You can't flip through a magazine, watch TV, get on the internet, do nearly anything without being bombarded with "sex selling" advertisement. We've talked recently in class about culture jamming these advertisements and during my search I came across an example of culture jamming the sexual advertisements for an Ad-Busting blog.

Though the language is offensive, there is truth in the statement. It calls to light the sexualized nature of the advertisement. I'm sure every girl is worried about how her lipstick looks when she's eating a strawberry... not. A girl/woman is worried about how the lipstick will last and how it will look. Culture jamming in a magazine at a doctors office is a great start, but it doesn't reach a mass audience. Plastering it on the internet gains a much larger audience. This way of fighting back to the advertising companies is great, but only if it works. When we see these ads that are degrading it has to translate to action, or rather non-action by not purchasing these products. If the ads and techniques no longer work, then new techniques can take their place. As women/girls, we must begin to use our consumer power to put an end to degradation! 

Postfeminism: from Out of Sight to Real Women have Curves

Postfeminism is a pretty broad term these days. What exactly does it mean and when exactly did this movement start amongst females. An articles written by Chris Holmlund, Postfeminism from A to G, discusses these issues. Holmund discusses the three different types of  postfeminists in today's society, the academic, the chick, and the grrl, mostly focussing on the latest two. Chick feminists are somewhat backward feminists. Holmund says, "many are hostile to the goals and gains of second-wave feminism; others simply take these gains and goals for granted". They're nostalgic about the life prior to equal rights in the workforce and family. Grrl feminists, sometimes called thrid-wave feminists, "eager to carry on the first- and second-wave feminist struggles". The article focuses on how these types of postfeminism translate into media, specifically movies. Two movies discussed are Out of Sight, starring Jennifer Lopez, and Real Women Have Curves, starring America Ferrera. Both are seen as postfeminist movies, however, Out of Sight still focuses on the romance and the need for a man in a womans life; whereas Real Women Have Curves focuses on putting a career above all.

 

(Images courtesy of IMDB)

 

Postfeminism is hard to define. Some feminists believe it started after women gained the right to vote. That's a large span of time to cover. I liked this article because it helped pinpoint this broad spectrum of postfeminism. I had no idea there was such a thing as a chick postfeminist and that they were working against the progress of current and past feminists. I think all these types are relevant to what postfeminists means today. However, I wonder if it's missing one. This type isn't defined, it's not radical, but it's not complacent. I think there is a gray area between the chick and grrrl feminists. Women who care about their rights and want to see them continue to be equalized but may not protest to show it. They may be a more silent, but still effective advocate. Most women, I would bet, fit within this gray area of postfeminism.

I was interested in this article from the start because it discussed grrl feminists which was something we had discussed in class. But as I read more of the article, I realized it focused more on how media portrays the postfeminist attitudes. We had discussed in class how even when the main character of literature is a girl and she seems powerful, there are still things that make her less of an equal. A class example was Katniss of The Hunger Games, and how even though she saved the world, romance surrounded the storyline and played a big part in her being able to succeed. Just like Out of Sight, though Jennifer Lopez plays a smart and respected detective, she lets the criminal go for love. You can tell by looking at the movie covers (above), that Out of Sight isn't just about Jennifer Lopez's character because George Clooney is also pictured on the cover, while Real Women Have Curves just pictures America Ferrera. The media sends a big message to viewers about how women and girls are to be portrayed and treated amongst society. I believe there is a bigger need for movies like Real Women Have Curves to promote the right idea to females everywhere.