Mumsnet Talk

Thanks feministe

Startail - people are already complaining. Lots of American feminists are writing and campaigning against this one and the Go Daddy ad.

Great blog SGM

That's horrible and wrong.
Walking up to a girl and forcibly kissing her without her consent is assault.

I assume her BF is meant to have given the driver the black eye.

So not only do we have sexual assault, we have feeble woman needing her knight in shining armour to rescue her.

I often get slated on this board for wanting a moderation in feminist responses to things, but this is simply wrong on so many levels.

Please could those who write far more eloquently than me, on these matters, complain.

Vile advert. Definitely teaches young men that the way to get a woman is to just grab her and force her to submit. And the fact that women are up for grabs. And this on top of the posh car = social success bollocks

But that's the thing, my teenage son (and all of his friends)

So a small group of males. A lot more don't see the difference. A lot think they have a right to kiss, slap, rape a woman.

Thank you love

I've added my post to my blog - feel free to use it.

I've got two but one is just about sexist advertising called The Seething Cauldron It's a collective blog so I'm actively looking for others to submit their own posts on sexist and misogynistic advertising. Multiple blogs on the same ad are completely welcome!! [should you feel like writing for it ]

THE ADVERTISING INDUSTRY WILL HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT THIS IN GREAT DETAIL, DISCUSSED ALL OF THIS, KNOWN IT WOULD UPSET SOME, BUT DECIDED THAT IT WOULD GENERATE ENOUGH REVENUE THAT THEY DON'T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT UPSETTING PEOPLE.

Brilliant fucking point Kick ass. It has been over thought to death by them and they thought it would sell cars and a "life style" too. So they were willing to pay the most expensive advertising prices all year for the privilege of showing a sexual assault.

SGM, I am interested in your blog, if it is public? Ignore if you don't want to link, thanks

I think its sexual assault. I blogged as such.

There are a whole lot of people who agree as, strangely, does our legal code.

The fact that it's the Superbowl makes it worse. It has vv high viewing figures, and this advert is normalising the idea that girls want men to 'take them'.

There are so many things in this advert that are perpetuating sexism and making it appear OK for these things to exist. Because it is on TV, and shot in hi-def, it makes it appear glamorous/sexy etc and therefore desirable. If it didn't, they wouldn't be using it in the advert.

Just from one viewing, I saw
- mom's perspective being ignored, what do women know?
- fast/loud cars give you power & confidence, even to the extent of taking what isn't yours (principle's parking space, another man's girl)
- women/girls like fiaries, pink, dancing, shoes & being grabbed roughly to be 'given one'
- that if you stick it to her good, she'll become not only compliant but also willing
- gaining possession of forbidden fruits (car, parking, women) is fun, exciting, empowering
- girls, like cars, are owned by men and are there for the taking

And for anyone who says that we're overthinking it: THE ADVERTISING INDUSTRY WILL HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT THIS IN GREAT DETAIL, DISCUSSED ALL OF THIS, KNOWN IT WOULD UPSET SOME, BUT DECIDED THAT IT WOULD GENERATE ENOUGH REVENUE THAT THEY DON'T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT UPSETTING PEOPLE.

Threads about the media where people say 'it's only TV' drive me crazy - I can't believe how naive people are and that they seem blind to understanding how much goes into pre-production. These messages are not sent by accident. It is DELIBERATE, KNOWING AND PLANNED. A group of people WANT us to see these things and have these beliefs.

Never underestimate what the media is attempting to do.

I think the watchword should be, "This is all being done for money." Yes, the ads are designed to be memorable--and here we are remembering them. If they offend a section of the audience, or people who hear about them afterwards, that may not be a drawback, if the same features increase the "memorable" effect on the likely customers.

Given that this is a major sports event, the average viewer is probably assumed to be male. The people who make the ads must believe that they're making a successful appeal to that audience, and they're paid huge amounts to get it right. Will the Audi ads attract or drive away customers, that's what they care about.

I see your point, I understand how Superbowl works, I just disagree that we shouldn't comment when things upset us. Yes, most of the adverts are to get us talking but I think most of the companies want it to be in a positive light. Godaddy very obviously excluded, they are vile, I know about their model making out with nerd advert but I am not sure if they went for their traditional method of making an advert so inappropriate they make you go online to see it?

I think Audi need to realise that people don't find this sort of thing funny and that boys especially need to learn that women and girls should consent before sexual contact. That does included kissing, if my daughter said a boy held her and kissed her with no prompting or with out any reason to believe she wanted to be kissed... I'd have to restrain myself form ripping his balls off

What happened to the poor girl in Steubenville, didn't come from nowhere.

As for football and scantily clad dressed women who aren't paid for their service I obviously agree with you. Still feel consent is a more important issue though

Ok, I'm clearly not getting my point about it being the superbowl over correctly. I don't mean it as it's the holy grail. I meant that advertisers spend millions of $$ creating adverts that are meant to make you laugh/annoy you/make you talk about it. That's part and parcel of the whole occasion, which is why I said about the context of the commercial. For the advertisers, all talk is good talk. That's what I meant by not talking about it. The worst thing for the companies involved is people ignoring them.

Fwiw, I get my feminist knickers more in a twist that there is a national institution that involves grown men basically kicking the shit out of each other while they throw a funny shaped ball around, and only allow women and girls to join in if they wear short skirts and wave pom poms.

I'm a bloke, I'm not offended by the ad per se, I just think its rubbish. How many times do they need to keep rolling out the nerd takes the girl from the jock storyline.

It's like Groundhog Day.

Isn't that the way in most films? The man comes over and kisses her. If she resists, he kisses harder and she gives in

So many messages given off by advertising at the moment about how women should be seen.

If you're honestly that offended, perhaps the best course of action would be to NOT talk about the adverts.

Yes, that works wonders, just stop talking about things that upset you. Especially when discussing the Holy Grail that is Superbowl where everything goes and pushing boundaries makes for a great telly and it is all OK because it the SUPERBOWL.

It is awful Goth isn't it? Reminds me of this. Just wish we had come a bit further in 60 years

Fuuuuck that's nasty.

I hate the "Big Car, Bag Trophy" bollocks in most car adverts. (P.S Audi, women may want to buy your cars too).

But,

I hate even more the way consent and seeking consent is repeatedly portrayed as unsexy and unnecessary.

In the awesome "Gift of Fear", the author asks us to think of how many films, tv programmes and books show women as not really saying no, you just have to be persistent and wear them down. It's just another way of treating women as not quite human in comparison to a man.

Also, I didn't need to overthink much at all, it's obvious to me.

My point is Superbowl ads are supposed to be contentious. They're supposed to be ones you talk about more than a regular ad. They're very often on the edge of what can be considered good taste. It's part and parcel of thd whole night. You eat chicken wings, you cheer for your team and you talk about the adverts. But they're about as far from real life as adverts get.

If you're honestly that offended, perhaps the best course of action would be to NOT talk about the adverts.

sexual assault ffor fucks sake

I really don't see what it being a SUPERBOWL advert has to do with it? So anything goes? Sexual assault is ok in the name of the Superbowl

No, I don't think real life has got that much to with a SUPERBOWL advert. That's half the point of them.

No not at all. Of course not. And neither would I be happy with my teenage son did that either. But that's the thing, my teenage son (and all of his friends) can see the difference between an Audi Superbowl advert, that is meant to get people talking, and real life.

So real life has nothing to do with popular culture?

reading way too much into it

in a club

i might slap him
i might enjoy it - despite or becuase i was there with another date - i mean who is to say that as a woman i sshould conform to a 1 male 1 female sexual relationship?

that is offensive about this advert - the assumption that women like tiaras and dreses and hetro rrelationhips

and that girls like dancing

No not at all. Of course not. And neither would I be happy with my teenage son did that either. But that's the thing, my teenage son (and all of his friends) can see the difference between an Audi Superbowl advert, that is meant to get people talking, and real life.