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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

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Rook: TV Ads Loaded w/Anti-Fem Sexism

Sex sells. We know this, and especially advertisers know this. We see it every day. Misogyny in commercials is abundant. If the commercials are not telling us how to look, what to wear and how to act, then they’re enforcing stereotypes of various men’s perspectives of the “ideal” woman — the femme fatale, the heroine, the perfect housewife, the sex kitten and the corporate climber — all are typically young, white and unnaturally thin, not to mention the beat-into-the-ground stereotypes of the too chatty, too bossy or weak and helpless woman. The popular Super Bowl commercials earlier this month were no exception. There was the male-only category, in which no women appeared at all, such as some Bud Light, Nextel, Hyundai Genesis and Cars.com commercials. Even the talking E*Trade babies were boys/Anne-Marije Rook, UI Argonaut. More here.

Question: Do you agree with Argonaut columnist Anne-Marije Rook that television ads are loaded with misogynistic sexism?



D.F. Oliveria
D.F. (Dave) Oliveria joined The Spokesman-Review in 1984. He currently is a columnist and compiles the Huckleberries Online blog and writes about North Idaho in his Huckleberries column.

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