Feminax advert...I find it unacceptable

[sorky]

here

If the roles were reversed there would be outrage!

I'm finding it hard to get worked up about this one, i've watched it a couple of times. Maybe because it is cartoon like and just unrealistic as in it couldn't happen in real life?

strawberry, that Heineken advert does the remarkable job of being patronising to both men and women. As a man am I supposed to want a walk-in fridge filled with cooking lager? Is that the most I can hope to achieve in life? Pah. If I had a spare room like that I'd turn it into a library.

I thought the Feminax advert was a bit unpleasant in the cliched "men are nasty animals that shouldn't be allowed on the furniture" kind of way but now it's been mentioned I can see that the "women get PMT and turn into unreasonable bitches" thing is off, too.

'strawberry, that Heineken advert does the remarkable job of being patronising to both men and women. As a man am I supposed to want a walk-in fridge filled with cooking lager? Is that the most I can hope to achieve in life? Pah. If I had a spare room like that I'd turn it into a library.'

Its just a joke. It wouldnt be funny. If the man changed it in to a library would it lol. Same as the womans shoe cupboard being full of academic literature. Its like comedy that picks on stereotypes of men and women like Peter Kay or Lee Evans stuff. Its just a joke and sometimes has some parallels of people in RL.

If you started to watch a comedy show and pulled it apart like this you would never fidn anything funny ever again!!

"I thought the Feminax advert was a bit unpleasant in the cliched "men are nasty animals that shouldn't be allowed on the furniture" kind of way "

I don't get why you got that vibe from it, I just got the vibe that she wanted to stretch out over the whole sofa. It is a pants advert anyway.

It's in Feminism because my understanding of the whole area is that it's about equality of the sexes.

The advert isn't offensive, I never said that.

I find it unacceptable that it places women in a more superior position, we are not superior, we are equal.
No more, no less.

My point about role reversal is a valid one I feel for this topic.
If roles were reversed I really don't think you would be seeing it as lighthearted and cartoony....I think you'd say it belittles the serious nature of dv by trivialising it into a bad mood due to hormones and that making it cartoon-like is the acceptable face of male oppression.

But what do I know?

But you said:
"I think it does a huge disservice to Feminism too sgm.

It perpetuates the myth that all feminists are men haters and have some sort of superiority complex" in response to sgm who was commenting on the advert? If you weren't saying that the specific ad was offensive, what were you talking about? I don't get it, the thread is about this ad which makes no reference to feminism but you're saying it gives feminism a bad name

msrisotto I have this with DH a lot. Necessarily he identies with the male and I identify with the female, and we end up with totally different readings of things like this. Like he hates ads where men are shown as incompetent (usually at cleaning), and I am . And of course I get wound up about all sorts of things, leaving him . I think we try to listen to each others POV though

It's this idea that if it's not you that's on teh receiving end, while you might understand it, you don't feel it in your gut. Which is why I get so worked up about injustices I see happening to women (I am one), and when I try to explain to some men they can see it, but they can't feel it. It's all very interesting

But loads more adverts are sexist about women than are sexist about men. Just in a different way. So here we have an ad where a man is thrown out of a window. Here, there and everywhere we have women presented as sex objects.

OK, so what then? Is this a "oh look but things are bad for men too what about the men can't we talk about them instead"?

And feminism isn't about equality of the sexes, it's about improving the lot for women. As a feminist it is not my job to go around looking out for injustice to men and sorting it out. As a person I will take notice of that stuff, just as I will take notice of racism, homophobia, people starving across teh world, lots of things. But the point of feminism is specifically to help women.

I'm sorry it doesn't match your strict criteria for what should and shouldn't be in the Feminism topic.

I find the advert unacceptable, as a feminist.

I think it portrays women in a bad light as slightly unhinged due to hormones and that the best way to deal with this is to eject the stupid man from the window.

My whole point, which you seem determined to ignore, is the double standards at work here.
It would not be an acceptable ad if the roles were reversed. To me it is unacceptable regardless of gender.

and people wonder why others see the Feminist topic as aggressive? You're arguing over what exactly Mrsrisotto?

As for cartoony being acceptable, that's not what the nspcc advert showed a while back is it?

Very lowest common denominator.

I agree it's not funny and was actually quite when I saw it, thinking can they do that?!

That pepsi ad makes me cringe as well.

MarineIguana - yes, that fajitas ad was awful.

I don't get your complaint sorky.

You say that it shows women in a bad light. Yes I can see that.

But then you say the double standard is at work as it would not be acceptable the other way around. So your complaint is that the man is thrown out of the window?

You just think it's a crap ad?

I can think of one which is similarish... That rustlers one where the sofa revolves and the librarian-style woman is transformed into a prone nuts-style woman. Also doubly offensive, also a shit ad. I just don't think this particular ad is that remarkable.

I hate that advert and I don't like watching it with my 2 DSs. I don't want them growing up thinking that women automatically think they are irritating.

Besides Feminax IMO doesn't even work.

I think you're setting up a bit of a straw man by saying if the roles were reversed, we would be up in arms.
The WKD campaign in general works on the same sort of level of low level misogyny as this would if the genders were reversed, and that is still running. (I see from googling that the ASA made them drop some of the ads as the 'juvenile humour' was likely to appeal to under-18s though!)

(haven't seen the rustlers one or the nspcc one)

Oh I hate those WKD ads...

I'm not being aggressive sorky, having a different opinion and saying so is not aggressive.

I was 'arguing' - asking how this particular ad does a disservice to feminism seeing as there is no reference to feminism in the advert whatsoever!! I'm not arguing your right to post it in the feminism forum or critique it in a feminist light! Now I feel like i'm being rounded up on.

There are loads of shit sexist ad's.

This one was one I saw last night.

I vaguely remember the Rustlers one, also pathetic.

Sorky, I don't see that people are getting aggressive here, they are just disagreeing with you and presenting a different perspective.

This ad is objectionable and stupid. I don't like it, I think its very stupid 'humour' and is offensive to men and women.

Fox, I don't think Feminax work either, but the ad is IMO a bit of harmless humour. It's not partcularly strong but it's obviously tongue-in-cheek.

I'd hate to be in a world where no-one laughs at themselves.

I haven't seen the WKD ads.

I'm not rounding on you MrsR, I'm not like that ever on here. Sorry you feel that, it isn't intended.

We'll agree to disagree eh?

It's not very funny although i get what they are trying to do but it's pretty crass.

The ad is crap and stupid.

But I also don't see why it gives feminism a bad name.

It was made by ad men, not feminists.

sorky I also dislike the advert plus lots and lots of adverts!

I think that your comment about the role reversal is an astute one - it's a good test to apply to lost of ads - a thought experiment which will show whether the ad is being sexist.

People who are saying "oh these ads are funny/get a life/chill out": I take the view that since advertising culture/popular culture is massively influential - these types of ads/jokes/myths have a huge impact on how women are seen in society and thus contribute to the "BIG" issues regarding equality in society.

Five minutes of your time to view this preview for this film called "Misogyny in Media & Culture".

If this attitude was applied to everything advertisers would be screwed. You can pick apart anything and find something offensive in it. Some people will watch the ad and laugh, some will be offended and some won't care either way. Just as some people find certain stand-up comediens funny and others get all up in arms over the jokes. If you don't find something funny, don't laugh, get up and make a cup of tea, carry on with your day. (fwiw I thought the ad was shit but only because it wasn't funny, not because I felt it gave me the right to shove dh out the window.....although it is tempting....)