Speak Out Before There is No One Left: Stop Bullying Now

Watch this powerful 41 seconds from MTV's fabulous campaign: A Thin Line.

It is so well done and so accurate. Words are etched into our memories if not literally etched with ink into our skin.

And watch this sweet anti-bullying ad.

Just one person standing up for another is incredibly powerful. And we all should; here is a reason why:

First They Came 

by Pastor Martin Niemoller

In Germany they came first for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. 

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. 

Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant. 

Then they came for me, and by that time no one was left to speak up.

This past September alone, there were four very public deaths of gay students who commited suicide - because. of. bullying. 

We cannot be silent as those around us are relentlessly bullied. 

We have to speak up... for the red heads, for the LGBT community, for the "uncool" kids... ANYONE facing this daily torture. 


Stop Bullying Now.
 

My New Crush

I have a new crush.

I just met him last night.

He is passionate, intelligent, and great with words.

A friend of mine introduced us... via YouTube. ;)

Ok, so I'm not holding my breath for a date with him any time soon but a girl can dream, right? ;) 

Y'all can meet him too... and fall in love with his poems (inspiring, energizing slam poetry style... not sappy stuff) because he is that great. Seriously, I hope y'all check him out.

His name is Rafael Casal and he is a def poet. 

The first video of his that I ever watched (thanks Lindsey!) is called Barbie and Ken 101. It has to do with media's misrepresentation of women which has been my interest lately with my Capstone focus. It is so great to hear a guy speak out against this :)

This one is called My Miller Chill and it is also about marketing. He has some really great lines by the end so watch it all the way through...

This one is my FAVORITE!!! It is called A.D.D. and seems a bit random at first but ties in. There are some crazy statistics and an incredibly wonderful final line.

And if you haven't been bitten by the lovebug yet after watching his fantastic videos, that is fine by me... I'll have less competition for that first date of ours...  ;)

Special K Craziness

Let me start by saying that I have a box of Special K in my kitchen right now and I am not hating on their product. Vanilla Almond is delicious.

BUT, their messages are disgusting. I just saw the Christmas one where the mom is doing a craft with her daughter; the phone rings and she stands up with the kiddie chair stuck to her behind. Cute, yes, at first.

However, when you really think about it, what kind of message are they sending? This woman is HARDLY overweight. She looks perfectly fit and healthy but the viewer is supposed to think she is in need of losing weight!?!

What about a woman who is really overweight? Why not show a woman who looks like she might actually need to lose weight?

HOWEVER, I want to repeat my initial statement when I started this post. Kellogs Special K is not awful in taste or intention. In researching this post, I came across a great article of some very positive ads for women. Sadly, I haven't seen any in everyday life, magazines or on tv. The website lists that ad campaign from 1996.

Kellogs, I hope you return to that more positive message. Let's have some more of those become the norm... I agree with your tagline from back then: A Healthy Body Weight Looks Good on Everyone.

Well, your newest Special K commercials show a seemingly healthy body weight. By plugging the Special K Diet, you seem to suggest to your viewers that they should actually be thinner; this is NOT healthy.

Mona Lisa Smile and Advertisements

This past weekend, I saw Mona Lisa Smile which was a wonderful movie about a Feminist art history professor at Wellesley in 1953-54. She deals with the school’s and her student’s traditional, conservative views on women, marriage, birth control, affairs, etc. The movie was great and I highly recommend it.

One scene in particular was my favorite: pay close attention from 4:10 to 9:30. As a Communication – Media Studies major, I have an interest in advertising. In the movie, the art history professor, Katherine Watson (played by Julia Roberts) addresses advertisements as art. A student objects and she ignores, stating that years from now, people will see those ads representing the “portrait” of women in that day. At the end of the movie, during the list of credits and cast, a slection of 1950s media and advertisements gives a good idea as to what that portrait of an ideal woman was; pay close attention from 2:10 to 4:50

So here we are today, over a half century later, and what do we see. Looking back in those ads of the smiling housewife – how far have we really advanced? Women are still seen in the home, cleaning/cooking, in need of beauty tools (girdles, makeup, hair products, etc.) and sexualized.

How many times do we see this with men? Fathers taking care of their children? Men making the meal for dinner? Dad’s doing the laundry? Guys in need of nail polish, makeup, etc.? Men sexualized? Sure that may be happening a bit more today but still, it is hardly a drop in the bucket compared to the amount of ads portraying women that way in the majority of today’s media.

Here is a then and now comparison of some ads from the 50s and today:

In the home:

Cleaning/Cooking:

Beauty:

Sexualized:

How far have we really progressed in the last fifty years? In another half-century, will we have progressed any more? What will they say of us, our portrait of the ideal woman in advertisements?