I Think I’ll Stick With “Plan C” But Thanks Anyway, Vaginal-Intercourse Extolling Heteronormative Asswipes December 27, 2009
Posted by FCM in entertainment, health, PIV, politics, pop culture, porn, rape, WTF?.Tags: commercials, contraceptive, PIV, plan b, pregnancy, rape, risk, vaginal intercourse
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this is a commercial for the new “Plan B” emergency contraceptive, which was approved in 2006 to be sold over the counter to women ages 18 and up (and just became legal in 2009 for 17-year olds) without a doctors’ prescription.
the first thing i thought upon seeing this commercial for the first time was “where are all the guys?” these women are waking up alone the next morning, having experienced a “contraceptive failure” the night before. understandably, they are mortified. horrified. freaked. been there, done that. whats *not* immediately understandable is why they are *alone* and confronting the possibility of an unwanted pregnancy alone, their male partners nowhere in sight. the guys just got up and…what? went to work? went out for breakfast? went out with the doodbros? went home the night before? WHAT? where are they?
this is the very narrative of misogyny and heteronormativity. guys: ejaculate into a womans vagina, and leave. women: stay at home and deal with the aftermath of vaginal intercourse, alone. check, and check.
heres another commercial that didnt air here, but is available on youtube. i found it extremely triggery, but its worth watching in order to rip it to shreds afterwards:
Dora Explores…Domestic Labor! December 1, 2009
Posted by FCM in entertainment, gender roles, kids, pop culture, WTF?.Tags: commercials, dora the explorer, gender roles, girls, kids, kitchen, retro, role playing, socialization, swing wing, toys
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whats next? dora "exploring" domestic violence? or the sex trade?
i saw a commercial for this one lastnight, and i admit that somehow this has flown under my radar for at least the last 2 christmases.
see the commercial for yourself here. its really a must-see. now, i know there are many variations on the pink plastic kitchen out there for little girls to unwrap at birthdays and christmas and play with. i had an easy-bake oven when i was 7 that was a blast (until i left the plastic spatula in the oven and it melted). but “dora the explorer” is supposed to be an adventurous girl that goes on, you know, educational adventures…that are almost (but not quite, of course) like the fun stuff little boys get to do. you see, dora is supposed to be different.
heres the product description from toys r us:
Dora’s Talking Kitchen brings Dora’s adventures into kitchen role play. Children can go on Dora recipe adventures with the help of the 5 recipe adventure maps and 28 play pieces. Also included are bilingual phrases, music and sound effects.
oh goody! kitchen-role play for children! see how they attempt to follow the patented dora “adventure” theme by having “recipe adventure maps?” how exciting! why not just have a detailed map of the aisles at the supermarket? at least that would be educational (excuse me, but where is “butterpat island” exactly? wait, its the boring old dairy case!? dora fucked me!) now, tell me truly: are they really talking about “children” here, or almost exclusively little girls? the commercial tells you all you need to know about the gender of fisher-price’s intended target.
and its just plain creepy to call anything dealing with children “role play.” kids play, they use their imaginations, but they are not role-playing. okay? role playing is for grown ups getting their skank on in the bedroom, or purging their emotional guts out on the therapists’ couch. unless…could fisher price really be admitting their true intention here: to groom little girls for the “role” of domestic laborer? why admit it? so called “girls’ toys” have been doing that for centuries,** but theres something so not right about calling this scenario “role play.” for real, thats weird.
New “Old Navy” Commercials Offend…Just About Everyone October 5, 2009
Posted by FCM in entertainment, pop culture, porn, race.Tags: commercials, misogyny, nudity, old navy, race, supermodelquins
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this is the “true hollywood” -style background story to the newest old navy ad campaign known as “the supermodelquins.”
the most recent installment in this campaign playing in my neck of the woods features a “model” hawking sweater-coats who gets separated from her legs at the airport. HER LEGS. WTF? seriously, watch the whole series if you have the time. these commercials offend nearly every vulnerable population there is. starving actors, the unemployed, women, POC, and the disabled are the ones i noticed first, although perhaps not in that order. more videos are embedded below.
- the human element…where did the real people go?
first, as the economy continues to suffer and more and more jobs are lost, it bothers me that yet another franchise has taken to using non-actors to fill roles in their money-making schemes, also known as television shows, and commercials. while this may be at the very bottom of anyones particular list, the failing economy has rocked my own corner of the universe. for reals. and while i am not an actor, i can certainly empathize with professional actors that have been hip-chucked out of their industry and left unable to earn a wage, and had their medical benefits lapse, due to long-term unemployment. (the screen actors guild (SAG) has been quantifying the harm that reality-television has caused working actors since at least 2005.)
this newest old navy campaign has made living, breathing human beings obsolete, (at least in front of the camera) and i think most everyone would agree that particularly in these times, that decision was unethical. not to mention hypocritical, where old navy is relying on the disposable incomes of its customers to make its own living, but they arent giving anything back. in fact, where reality franchises have replaced union workers with non-union ones, saving themselves the money and hassle (also known as ethics and regulatory oversight) of having to deal with SAG, old navy’s decision to forgo the human element altogether seems particularly self-serving, and cruel.
femonade 