In response to anyone who took offense to the post on Ads that Objectify Women.

Are you really that narrow minded that what you took from that post was that I think men are dumb animals? (That’s a rhetorical question and FYI, no I don’t think that)

It’s called the subconscious and it happens to everyone. I didn’t think I needed to go into great detail but I guess I was wrong. I am not sorry for what I wrote; but I am sorry for not assuming that you are a child and need things carefully explained.

There are plenty of examples of the impact that media have on society. In this case, the example happened to be the effects that images of women have upon men so that is what I was commenting on. Maybe I was wrong for using the word “train”; and for assuming that people understood the concept of figurative language. No more assumptions!

Figurative language or speech contains images. The writer or speaker describes something through the use of unusual comparisons, for effect, interest, and to make things clearer. [Source]

Moving on.

Let’s say I am 5 feet and I weigh 100 lbs. Five months later I realize that I weigh 110lbs. What has the media “trained” me as a woman to think? Do I think that it’s ok because I am still healthy and I look and feel good? Or is it more likely that I will think that I really need to lose the weight and fast because in reality I weighed too much at 100lbs. Stop…think about it. Or do I need to go into greater detail about this example? Just in case…this is an example to show that both men and women can be effected by what they see and hear. *nods head and smiles*

Let’s recap.

Train= the subconscious.

Subconscious= The part of the mind below the level of conscious perception.

Other things that some people (who might happen to be men or women) might be “trained” to think

- Desensitivity to violence. “Only one person died so why are they interrupting my show to tell about this? It’s not like he killed a bunch of people.”

- She deserved it. She wanted it. Why was she dressed like that in the first place?

- I am so fat. I am ugly unless I am mostly skin and bones.

Thank you to the commenter’s who did not require this detailed explanation.

Jackie: “We are ALL affected by advertising, everyday. And like it or not it does affects our perception of what is acceptable and what is not. Women are over sexualized in the media and this is having a negative effect on how men treat women and how women see their own bodies.”

Stephanie: “…It’s the *exposure and the *impact of the message=both things that contribute to success rates in advertising. I’m willing to bet A LOT of people were confronted with sexism when seeing these disrespectful, crude and negative ads”

Abby: “I am lenient when it comes to condom ads - many of them make sex funny and also an equal experience for the partners, but these clearly alienate men from women. By making their potential partners into nothing but an object to “smack”, sex is made less pleasureable for everyone.”

Want more?

Sex and Relationships in the media

Beauty and Body Image in the media

Sexist Advertisements: How to see through the soft sell

Any questions?

[tags] Offensive Ads, Objectification, Women’s Issues [/tags]