[JimmyDimples]

I'm not making this one up, folks.  I stumbled onto this one at the Telegraph's website.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/2686538/EU-wants-to-ban-sexist-TV-commercials.html

I'm at a loss of words over this one.  What about y'all?

[fasola]

First, the Marketing, commercial, and publicity industries are going to collapse, fall down, or what ever you want. I mean, all the ads out there are in a way "sexist". And besides, what is actually something sexist.
This sounds a lot like a pollitician wanting to score ome points and make a name.
I think there are way more important things to discuss than that now-a-days.

[10-4]

That should put an end to perfume commercials.  ;D

Looks like P.C. done E.U. Style to me.

[AlexG]

PC language notwithstanding, it sounds more to me as if it’s just another example of the increasing influence of the growing Muslim population on secular European culture.

BTW – it should be "sex", not "gender".  Wrong use of the word.

“I like a good story well told. That is the reason I am sometimes forced to tell them myself.”
~ Mark Twain / Samuel Clemens (1907)

[cpbell0033944]

My take on this as a (reluctant) EU citizen:

There is, IMO, a valid argument for banning the print adverts in glossy magazines (the ones for expensive perfumes, luggage or clothes) which do portray women either as a dismembered (usually thin) body part or interacting with a prop in a suggestive manner.  Mind you, the ones I hate the most are the ones where some anorexic model stares blankly out of the page; if I were female, I think I would be very offended by them because the advertisers are assuming that I would buy said sunglasses, perfume or clothes because a "glamourous" model is advertising it.

However, what they seem to be worrying about is TV advertising.  Here in the UK, there have only been two TV adverts of the last decade that I thought were genuinely sexist.  One was depicting women in traditional "male" jobs, with the sales point being that men can find refuge from feminism by eating a calorie-laden hamburger (it was a commercial for the dreaded golden arches).  The other was for a lad's mag called Nuts which showed women making a mess of simple tasks, with their husbands/boyfriends failing to come to their aid because it was a Thursday and they'd just bought a copy of the waste of paper mag and were too busy reading.  They even used the tagline "Women – don't expect any help on Thursdays", and the whole tone of the advert was basically saying to guys "Yeah, they're hot, but aren't women useless?"  However, given that I hate fast food and lads' mags, I realised that I was too sophisticated to be the target of these adverts, as they were aimed at the Neanderthal end of the male population.  (Cont'd in next post due to word limit)

[cpbell0033944]

(Cont'd from previous post)

My point is that, yes, sex sells, but I sometimes think these uptight PC-freaks that inhabit the EU hierarchy forget that adults find other adults sexy.  Objectification is one thing (like the print adverts I mentioned) suggesting that the opposite sex is useless or stereotypical (like the Nuts advert), or objecting to women doing jobs like driving vans or construction (like the McDonalds advert), but most TV adverts don't objectify.  Yes, they'll show a woman using cleaning products because most men are poor at housework, not because it's a woman's place.  As for using men to advertise women's perfume – how crazy is that?  It's like showing a woman splashing-on aftershave.  I have no objection to that image at all, but it's pointless and just reinforces the idea that EU comissioners and beaurocrats have nothing better to do.

Yes, ban objectifying adverts, which are usually in print.  Ban Page 3 models if you must, becuse the practice of having a Page 3 girl is a relic of the past (though it hasn't half given us some wonderful hotties down the years), but don't ban sex as a strategy.

[fasola]

I always saw those perfume or women's clothing in general, as a way to make their partners buy them stuff. If a man sees an ad for certein perfume eith a sultry or a little sexual oriented image of what is concidered a beautifull woman, then he would by the perfume fir his wife/girlfreind/etc. so he can make her look more like the one in the ad.
And I think something similar but with the roles changed happens with male underwear. I'm tired of seing ripped guyin male underwear. That publicity won't make me buya new pair of undies never, but my girlfriend might buy one for the atraction she feels for the model in the ad.

[cpbell0033944]

And I think something similar but with the roles changed happens with male underwear. I'm tired of seing ripped guyin male underwear. That publicity won't make me buya new pair of undies never, but my girlfriend might buy one for the atraction she feels for the model in the ad.

I've never understood this one either. ::)

[AlexG]

I figured this would happen, but the thread subject was one of the topics up for discussion on yesterday's (09/08/08) 1st hour of the Dennis Prager program.  The archive page allows for computer and/or iPod re-listening.

Source: http://townhall.com/talkradio/show.aspx?radioshowid=3

Monday September 8, 2008
Prager H1: McCain Surges With Dennis Prager
Prager H1: Post convention, John McCain has a 10 point lead among likely voters, according to the USAToday… Keith Olbermann has been pushed off the MSNBC election anchor desk. He was embarrassing the network and they finally had enough… The European Union wants to ban all sexist ads. But who decides what is sexist?… Speaking of embarrassments, David Letterman made a fool of himself during a conversation with Dr. Phil about Sarah Palin… But, as usual, Michael Moore wins the prize talking about Iran on Larry King.

“I like a good story well told. That is the reason I am sometimes forced to tell them myself.”
~ Mark Twain / Samuel Clemens (1907)

[AlexG]

And I think something similar but with the roles changed happens with male underwear. I'm tired of seing ripped guyin male underwear. That publicity won't make me buya new pair of undies never, but my girlfriend might buy one for the atraction she feels for the model in the ad.

I've never understood this one either. ::)

Nothing to understand, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know why they use that sort of advertising.

“I like a good story well told. That is the reason I am sometimes forced to tell them myself.”
~ Mark Twain / Samuel Clemens (1907)

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