During the last Super Bowl over 4 million people heard the #NotBuyingIt critiques. We are finally an important discussion of sexism and the harms of it in advertising. Check out the discussions. Thanks to Miss Representation for these links: CNN, The Boston Globe to NPR, helped inspire thousands of people around the globe to question the impact of gender representations they consume daily.
Go Daddy, which we all knew would stoop once again to use blatant hate to hawk its bankrupt products. Morally bankrupt not financially…. yet. There were over 7,500 tweets sent to Go Daddy alone in just 5 hours for the ad featuring Bar Rafaeli and a computer “geek” kissing. Why isn’t this ad just funny? Because Ms. Rafaeli would never naturally be attracted to a man who looks so different from her. She sold out and took the money and kissed him, telling all men that women are dupes for sale and men with money can get “hot women” to do anything for money. Not that kissing this man was unpleasant, maybe it was fun. But rather than focus on her experience we need to deconstruct the message it sends. Being asked to kiss a stranger for a TV ad is something I have done. I was 18 years old when I sold out. I could tell the whole CERTS crew got off, as the director kept yelling, “kiss more, kiss him longer, get into it….” ergh. I like to kiss, and the male model was not unpleasant to look at— but I sold out as well. No blame. Let’s empty the pockets of GoDaddy and pull your account and let them know that people of conscious refuse to add to the problems in the world. We who boycott are saying we want to be part of the solution.
Use your consumer voice to let advertisers know: when it comes to using sexism to sell, we’re #NotBuyingIt!
Audi’s contribution to rape culture was a tad more subtle.
Audi’s “Prom” tells the tale of a teenager being handed the keys to his parents’ Audi to attend the prom solo. He shows up and forces a kiss on the Prom Queen and receives a black eye from the Prom King. This ad is supposed to make men smile and laugh. It teaches young men that it is Ok and even funny to force kisses on females who do not want it. Men interpret this act as “bravery” rather than just another contribution to rape culture. Tell Audi you are #NotBuyingIt!
Then the Fiat ad where a black scorpion is set to bite at woman’s back and she is happy about it and decides to swim shirtless as a result. So let Fiat and Audi we also are #NotBuyingIt!
