Little things we'll forget...

Found some mediocre Post-it print work via Coolz0r:

A) “Look Up:” I’m glad that Post-it is trying reminding guys to look up, but as AdRants points out, the presence of the note itself may give guys an excuse to stare. (One commenter even said “If she really wanted me to look up, don't wear it so low!”) It’s a nice cheeky response for women who are tired of men’s drifting eyes, but overall, the execution could have come off a lot stronger and less voyeuristic.
B) “Jade:” I think this one’s also trying to capture the humor of the first ad, but falls a tad flat. “For all the little things you’ll forget?” Regardless of your views on hook-up culture, I hope that you’d show a little more respect to your paramour, regardless of gender. The fact that is IS a woman who’s physically labeled just further reinforces negative stereotypes and behaviors.

Note to agency: try again. (Though... might it be spec? More can be found here.)

Agency: The Jupiter Drawing Room (Johannesburg)

I might not be able to park, but at least I don't crash.

In a step towards debunking the long-held stereotype that men are better drivers than women, a recent study shows that women are better at splitting their attention on a number of tasks at once and have better overall “mental flexibility.” We may not be that hot at reading a map or parallel parking, but we’re less aggressive drivers and the accidents we do have happen at lower speeds.

Happily, a South African insurance company, 1^st for Women insurance, has noted this, and is offering lower premiums to female drivers. (Many insurers already offer slightly lower rates for women 18-25 when compared to their male counterparts, but these rates tend to level out as drivers age.)

According to the ads, “If men were women, we’d insure them. But they’re not. So they don’t get to pay substantially lower car insurance premiums. Cover with care.” Black River Football Club, from Johannesburg, South Africa, handled the campaign. (Click the images for larger versions.)

Huzzah!

Via Adpunch.

Does it grow on you?

I buy cage-free eggs. I don’t own any fur. I’m against foie gras. As much as I admire PETA and their cause, I'm not sure I agree with some of their marketing techniques. Does using sex to sell an idea really further their cause?

I know people are going to say that these models are vegetarians, and that they’re choosing to do this, and there’s nothing like a sexy woman to make being animal-friendly seem cool. But after a few campaigns of the same thing (the Pamela Anderson ads are from last year, if not earlier), isn’t it time to use a new approach?

I do sort of like the cabbage leaf dress- it feels classier and more on-target. The lettuce bikinis just don’t do it for me. Where are the sexy guys in lettuce thongs, I ask you?

via Houtlust

Mirror, Mirror

Another difficult-to-watch PSA about the horrors of eating disorders, perhaps giving us a glimmer into a victim's mind. Sponsored by Anorexi/Bulimi-Kontakt, this visceral spot aired on MTV Sweden-- can you imagine a PSA like this airing in the States? It would certainly make people sit up and take notice.


via Houtlust

Some Positivity for once.

So, if you read the Dolce & Gabbana post below, you might have visited the Love Your Body site sponsored by NOW. It had a great collection of offensive ads, of which D&G topped the list, but I also think it bears mentioning that they have a great site of positive ads too.

"Positive ads?" you say, bewildered and confused. Yes, positive ones! Women don't always have to be at the mercy of beer peddlers who toss them in skanty bikinis and force them to shill watered-down piss, or cosmetics companies that prey upon their insecurities, promise the world in a compact, and then fail to deliver.

Unsurprisingly, Dove has a number ads featured on this site, as well as the Girl Scouts (man, if they had offensive ads, we'd be doomed).

Dolce & Gabbana: Fantasy Rape? Since when was rape any woman's fantasy?

Dolce & Gabbana are pulling an ad featuring a "fantasy rape" amid pressures from NOW (who named it as one of the most offensive ads towards women) and other women's rights organizations, as well as world governments.

Quoted on MSNBC, designer Steffano Gabbana "says that he regrets the way the ad was perceived and insists that he and his partner Domenico Dolce were not intending to demean women. He adds that the image is artistic and was meant to 'recall an erotic dream, a sexual game.' "

Surrrre. Forget the flying dream. My favorite is definitely when a group of men hold me down and force themselves on me. Absolutely. Are they using condoms? No? Even better!

Anyway- the article goes on to interview the designer. Gabbana states he doesn't see how the ad could be supportive of violence towards women, but has respectfully pulled it from publication. Evidently the ad had the power to go past partisan politics, uniting both of Italy's political parties against it. In the USA however, it was run without comment.

Which begs me to ask the question, how come it's inappropriate to see women breast-feeding in public, but this is ok?

Back

Well, it's been awhile since posting, and I apologize for that. Some good news however: I've got a fancypants MacBook Pro that I'll be writing from... so, whooo.