Just ignore the dirty old French men

Translates to: "I'm going into a meeting."  Huh.  Not the best double entendre ever.

Les Infideles (The Players) is an upcoming set of short films about men cheating on their wives.  It has caused a bit of a stir because it stars Jean Dujardin, who is nominated for a best actor Oscar, and because the posters are crass and demeaning to women.

The French government has requested that these movie posters be removed from display in Paris because they depict women as sexual objects.  The head of the Autorité de Régulation Professionnelle de la Publicité said that the ads "...depict women in a way that damages their dignity... [the ads] present a degrading image of women, because in both cases you do not see the woman's face. This is certainly presenting an image of women as objects, in this case sexual objects."


Here are two more ads from the series:

Allegedly this translates to: “Honey, I’m going to get cut off, I’m going inside a tunnel”  Again, the sex jokes could use some work.  

I get it. The ads are offensive.  I would not be happy about my kids seeing them around the city.   Yet, I don't know.  I can't quite get fired up about this one.   Sadly, they are not really that far outside of what is considered mainstream.    This has a bit of the "manufactured controversy" air about it to me, as if they came up with cheeky ads featuring their Oscar-hunk in the hopes of stirring the pot.   I dunno.  My reaction to all of this is:  "Meh.  If you pay attention to it, you'll only reinforce it."

What do you think?

Black is beautiful, right?

Here is a promotional photo for Beyonce's 2011 album, 4.  Yes, that is Beyonce.  She is barely recognizable.  As a White woman, I definitely don't feel like I fully understand the politics of skin color among Black women.  That being said, this picture makes me feel uncomfortable.   I can't help but imagine what little girls see when they see this picture.  Beyonce is in such a tremendous position of power to buck narrow, repressive ideas of what is beautiful.  She does that sometimes.  This is not one of those times.  What do you think?


As an aside, what the hell is up with that giant lump on the couch under her back?

Vintage Ad: Girl, please! How you gonna sit on my couch knitting in them raggedy-ass stockings?

Honey, I think that we have bigger problems here.  If your husband is the sort of fancy, fancy man who worries his metrosexual little head about the perfection of your stockings, there are other problems in the relationship.  Is he pissy because they won't be nice when he wants to wear them or is he just a dick?  Either way, girl, Lux ain't fixin' the problem.

Dead Sexy

Gimme a W!  Gimme a T!  Gimme an F!  

Lidner is a Polish coffin company.  This is the cover of their 2012 calendar.  This is the third year that they have published a sexy lady calendar to help sell their wares.   I know when I think about being dead, and having my lifeless corpse lowered into the ground, I definitely think about naked ladies with boob jobs.  So, yeah, whatever.

You might have noticed that the image above merely shows a naked lady.  There is no degradation or violence.  So, technically speaking, it's not pornographic.  Don't worry though, Lidner ups the ante with some of the images on the inside of the calendar.

Sexualization of violence against women?  Check!

Good job with that advertising campaign!   I think somebody deserves a raise!

Dinner at the Crackington House

I found this picture in an ad I got in the mail from a local grocery store today.    Have you ever seen a more cracktastic spread? 

Billy:  "Hey Mom, what's for dinner?"

Mom:  "Pepperoni pizza, orange juice, a basket of whole-wheat bread, some cocktail shrimp and a big bowl of raw hot peppers."

Billy: "Cool, I like pizza. Wait, what?  A bowl full of raw..."

Mom:  "Yeah!  A bowl full of hot peppers.  Is there a problem with that?  Do I look like Paula-fucking-Dean to you?" 

Billy:  "Uhhh...  DAAAD!  I think Mom stopped taking her medication again!"

Mom:  "Your father?  You're calling him to help? Ha!  Oh, you are just like him.  So judgemental.  Nothing is ever enough.  I even spent the whole damn afternoon rolling up lunch meat JUST LIKE YOU LIKE IT  Oh, and I threw on some olives.  OLIVES, dammit.  And DIP!  Creamy-orange dip, because MOMMY LOVES YOU."