I found this article in a parenting magazine. It suggests ways for dads to help their kids learn skills; all of these methods are sports-related. The kids shown are both boys and girls, but I think it's interesting that since it's advice for dads, everything has to be put in terms of sports; I don't think you'd see similar advice for moms. I suppose it is good that the article assumes that men do household chores, though.
Here are some examples: Laundry-Basket Rebound (practice tossing laundry into a basket), Toddler Free Throw (for unpacking groceries), Bowling for Brainpower.
Gendered Parenting
"Subliminal" Sex in the Media
I don't know if "subliminal" is a real thing or just a layperson idea, but when I talk about media in intro I show some images to show just how carefully advertisers are steeping their material in raw sex. I start with the image below.
I ask: Notice anything interesting about this image? Even in very large classes it usually takes a long time for anyone to see...
...that the shadow of the liquor bottle is pointing directly between her nearly bare breasts.
Then I show them these:
NEW: That's Salma Hayak and Campari... or should I say Salma Hayak's boobs and an ejaculation fantasy.
And where is the rocket going?
This is from a gay mag.
What image accompanies the word "come"?
I love this one. Eh em.
I also think Gwen's post here is great ("testees" anyone?)
And I close with a visit to the Gillette Vibrance website. The Gillette Vibrace razor may or may not be a razor, but it's definitely a vibrator.
1. Go to the website.
2. Watch the umbrella penetrate the v (v is for vulva) shaped lines on the screen.
3. Click on Go to Venus Vibrance (there are a number of razors on this site).
4. Note the shape of the product.
5. Look at where the model's hand is.
6. Click on the message-in-a-bottle for a "GoddessTip." Notice how it spurts out.
7. Click "Learn More."
8. Click through the information bytes.
a. The second one shows the vibration. “Push of a button,” eh? “A whole new shaving experience”? I bet.
Students love this.
Tobacco Use As Male Bonding
In this ad chewing Skoal provides a male bond that gets the guy out of a speeding ticket.
Just in Time for Halloween...Sexism
The Halloween costume below, which is produced by Playboy, is called "Sexy Scholar".
Marketing Guns to Women
Here's an article with a gun vendor talking about women wanting pretty guns.
Interestingly, when you google "pink gun," one of the first sites that comes up is Pink Pistols, a gay/lesbian gun organization.
Consumption as Independence: More Right-Hand Ring Ads
The top one says "I don't strive for success, I am success." The bottom one says "Celebrate who you are with a diamond right hand ring."
More Examples of Retouching
Click here (and then click portfolio) for before and after photos of lots of celebrities!
Cosmetic Surgery As Empowerment: Take Two
This one, a pair with Gwen's earlier contribution (here), actually takes a little decoding, and so might be useful to get discussion going in a classroom:
If parentheses = suppressed text, then these parentheses = suppressed speech and, of course, the best way to be liberated from suppression is Botox... not speaking your mind.
Some Graphs On Historical Changes In The Body
On Size:
On Lifespan:
From the National Center for Health Statistics; National Vital Statistics System; Dora Costa, MIT; Richard H. Steckel, Ohio State University; Center on the Economics and Demography of Aging. University of California, Berkeley.
Vulva Cologne: WARNING--Not Work Safe!
I don't know what to make of this product. The site, apparently based in Germany, claims it's a scent that brings to mind a...well, you know. I assumed it was a joke, but when you say you're ordering, it takes you to PayPal and I was able to log in to my account and everything. I could not bring myself to hit the "pay now" button just to see, because I really don't want a bottle of anything called Vulva.
Race and Masculinity
These images are a 3-part ad for a Discovery channel reality show. The first page had the guy with his face being painted and says "Live like a tribesman." The second page had him running and says "Train like a soldier." And then, as you can see in the previous post, they show him wrestling with a black African "tribesman," I guess. It appears this is a reality show where we see if a white guy can learn to be a primitive tribesman and show his superiority to the actual "tribesmen" (I'm not sure how I feel about that term).
Sexy Women as Rewards for Consuming the Right Product
I'll leave it up to you to decide if "testees" is a pun.
The Sexualization of Activism
PETA is well known for objectifying women in their efforts to encourage us to be kind to animals. Here is a latest ad starring Alicia Silverstone:
Here are some print ads:
In case you were wondering if they were denigrating women as well as showing them naked... Here you go:
Boys too!
Black Women as Wild Animals
This is a picture I got from Lisa several years ago, but since she hasn't posted it I figured I would. For another example, see this post.
Help Others by Spending Money on Yourself
30% of the retail price of these shirts will be donated to "some of the country's best charities. What better excuse to go shopping?" The retail price is $68. The charities are:
Women in Need
Free Arts NYC
Rape Treatment Center at Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center
National Multiple Sclerosis Society
Children's Hope India
American Refugee Committee's Darfur Relief Effort
I like these kinds of things because they bring up two issues: Why don't people just contribute $20 (or, in most cases, something like 10 cents) directly instead of filtering it through a corporation? And should we have to personally get something out of it in order to contribute to worthy causes?
For other examples, look here, here, and here.
Appropriation of the Other
This was sold on the website for "The O.C." On the show one character had a Jewish dad and a shiksa mom. He created a holiday called Chrismukkah to combine the two heritages and in one episode a friend sews a "Chrismukkah Yarmuclaus." Then they started selling them online for $16 to fans of the show.
Teen Sexuality
This t-shirt was available from Delia's, a mail-order catalog that targets girls between the ages of 12 and 15. They stopped selling it after some complaints.
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