Opressed by sexuality

[andrewducker]

I was reading this months Empire (films to look out for: "I love Huckabees" and "The Incredibles") when I happened upon a full-page advert for speakers, advertised by a sexy woman holding one in each hand.

I waved it at Lilian and said "Look at this! It's so blood unnecessary!", and we had a brief discussion to the effect that naked women were fine in naked-women-magazines, but not really elsewhere. Her reasoning was the traditional "It makes me feel that all women are valued for is looking sexy.", but I had my own reason, _I_ felt patronised by it.

I really object to the idea that my buying decisions for a set of speakers will be largely affected by the fact that there are a pair of breasts next to them. I want speakers that (a) sound good and (b) will look ok. As pretty much _all_ speakers look ok to me, I'm primarily concerned with finding ones that sound good enough. Saying to me "Look! Speakers and _Breasts!" just feels like the crassest form of manipulation, and I object on principle.

Comments

[pisica.livejournal.com]

Would you have been less offended by the ad if you HAD been reading Maxim or whatever? I mean, would the manipulation have felt less on the grounds that you were reading Maxim *because* you wanted to see breasts (or else you wouldn't be reading it) and thus the breasts-and-speakers combo would have seemed a logical extension?

[andrewducker]

Well, if I was reading Maxim they could at least assume I was in the market for breasts and be saying "Would you like some speakers to go with your breasts?"

But actually no, the speakers/breast connection would still be entirely....lacking.

I feel the same way about the car advert with the bottoms.

[pisica.livejournal.com]

The one with the French guy at the beginning, and then it's all about shaking that ass? Yeah, I don't understand how that's supposed to pressure me into buying a car. A French car, at that.

[andrewducker]

I know it's _supposed_ to get me to remember the make of the car.

Damned if I can remember what the make is though.

[pisica.livejournal.com]

There are some adverts I'll hear multiple times and realise that although I distinctly remember hearing the advert before, the actual product they're selling is completely forgotten. Doesn't seem to be useful!

I mean, the only reason I think that car commercial is Renault is because I find the French guy kind of cute. It's not *quite* breasts-and-speakers, admittedly.... :)

[cruft.livejournal.com]

My God, your cat looks exactly like mine! Separated at birth?!

[pisica.livejournal.com]

Possibly, but only likely if you also rescued a street cat who wandered into the American embassy in Bucharest.... :) (see my userinfo page for the story)

There are certainly a lot of cats who look like him around - you're the second person on LJ to be amazed about him. And then there is also tuxedocats!