Letters to the Editor
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I'm with you
Tracy,
Here's at least one guy that totally agrees with you on this one. The Dove ads have driven me insane since they started running...it's really the most odious form of advertising I've ever come across, all "we understand you ladies, and the pressure you're under to look a certain way. Don't worry, we love you for who you are (never mind the fact that we've been the ones peddling these stereotypes for years, we've just realized that now it's economically viable to pretend to be a 'caring' company! And CERTAINLY never mind that we're still just peddling beauty products..hey look over there! There's a slightly overweight model, who is only barely outside the accepted norms of attractive!)"
and now to find out that the same company that peddles this tripe is the exact same one that peddles the tripe that they purport to be against? It makes my blood boil.
two notes:
1) For the people who defend AXE as "simply a joke", grow up and get a new excuse. That's the same rationale of the racist asshole at work who tells a horribly offensive joke about minorities and then gets mad at people who ask for a little common decency. Those ads make me cringe, they remind me how absurd men can truly be,
2) For those who say "get over it, it's only an ad". Well, ads matter. In case you haven't realized it yet, we live in a completely corporatized society. A small example - take any city (outside major urban areas). Where's the central meeting place for people? THE MALL. Which is, need I remind you, a wholly Private space...there is really no such thing as public space anymore. If corporations are to be given free reign over pretty much every aspect of life, then they should be held somewhat accountable.
(and lest you think I'm some sort of namby-pamby effete boy, let me tell you that I'm a full blown, hockey-mad, beer-drinking, hetero dude...just one who also happens to think from time to time)