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From: jeff@rtech.UUCP (Jeff Lichtman)
Newsgroups: net.women
Subject: Re: Is feminism sexism by females?
Message-ID: <629@rtech.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 5-Sep-85 06:09:18 EDT
Article-I.D.: rtech.629
Posted: Thu Sep  5 06:09:18 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 8-Sep-85 04:46:23 EDT
References: <415@mhuxr.UUCP>
Organization: Relational Technology, Alameda CA
Lines: 52

> 
> There is an ad, for a weightlifting machine, that shows what I mean.
> Two women on a beach are discussing what they like in a man: chests,
> pectorals,
> legs, or whatever. Meanwhile some piece of beefcake is shown using the
> machine is question in pornographic close-up. His face is never shown,
> irrelevant. The ad ends again with the women seeing the beefcake
> walking by in a skimpy bathing suit and exclaiming "Now that is
> what I like" followed by various other comments directed at the guy,
> with much lewd giggles.
> 
> Why do advertisers feel that treating men as pieces
> of meat is all right?  Perhaps the advertising
> industry, male dominated, feels that raised consciousness means
> going down in the gutter with the other pigs?
> 
> Comments?
> 
> Marcel Simon

Advertisers are not interested in feminism as a political movement or a
philosophy.  They are only interested in selling the product.  They will
use any kind of manipulation they think they can get away with.  In this
case I guess they are hoping:

	- that women will associate the product with the good-looking
	  male body

	- that the ad will create an carefree atmosphere that will leave
	  women feeling they will be allowed to have fun ogling men and
	  making lewd comments if they buy the product

	- that the ad will appeal to women's anger at having been treated
	  this way themselves, and that women will associate the product
	  with a feeling of sweet revenge

	- that the ad will identify the company as feminist (or at least
	  non-sexist), which will make women want to buy the product.

This last type of manipulation is the most dishonest, and I've seen lots
of ads that are much worse.  The series of "Super-Mom" ads that showed up
on television several years ago were terrible (for example, ads where a
brand of shampoo is shown to help a woman through a long, hard day of
*achieving* in the board room, on the dance floor, etc.).  These ads always
pissed me off, because I realized they were saying, "See how liberated we
are?  That's why you should buy our product."
-- 
Jeff Lichtman at rtech (Relational Technology, Inc.)
aka Swazoo Koolak

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