There's a reason the Powers That Be want women to be unhappy with themselves

[Scuba]

[brooklynite]

1. Right...because Men are NEVER bothered by such things...

...and various other products one can't post from an office computer.

[seaglass]

2. Why don't you start a thread about it instead of hijacking this one? n/t

[brooklynite]

4. Not hijacking...disputing the opinion of the OP...

...that "They" target Women any differently than Men for commercial purposes.

[seaglass]

5. Where does it say in the ad that men are targeted differently than women? I didn't see men

mentioned at all. So, no, you weren't disputing anything in the post.

[boston bean]

17. I think the commenter may mean that he feels the graphic is ridiculous

and that it's nothing to be concerned with, it happens to men too.

I'm not sure how else to take it. Cause if you agreed with it, whether it happens to men or not, you wouldn't do what the poster did.

[cyberswede]

3. It's not a zero sum situation, you know.

[loudsue]

6. What a beautiful horse!

[snooper2]

12. That horse has to be photoshopped...

That has to be the nicest horse ass I've ever seen!

[Helen Borg]

32. It has a zombie eye, for some reason...

Is the horse sleeping? The visible eye is barely visible and only the white is visible...

[loudsue]

37. It's probably a very light blue.

We'd have to enlarge the photo to see for sure, and I don't know how to do that.

[FreakinDJ]

50. LOL - good catch

[H2O Man]

7. Why post this?

Certainly, our culture pressures people of all sexes, ages, sizes, etc., to meet some plastic status. But any objective consideration could only conclude there is greater pressure on women, than on men. That doesn't discount individual experience. Nor should it be reduced to some silly contest -- there's way too much of that, as the OP implies.

[Sheldon Cooper]

8. Yes - for the love of god, what about the men???

Will no one speak for them????

[snagglepuss]

16. lol. Thnaks for the chuckle.

Needed that.

[Fawke Em]

22. Bazinga!

[Egalitarian Thug]

24. No, they're not. Of course the advertising industry is working hard to change that,

but it's not working. And BTW, that Old Spice ad is directed at women and gay men.

The men who actually interact with women know what this latest re-branding of the 'metro-sexual' is all about and most women don't go for it either. (OTOH IIRC, You were the one that thinks men don't carry change in their pants pockets either).

The solution to the problem of forcing women into the sexual object box is not solved by trying to put men into the same box. We just have to discard the box.

[NewJeffCT]

47. The OP's post said nothing about men

and didn't exclude men in any way. If the OP had said that it only applied to women, then you could make the case. But, it didn't.

And, sure, there are industries that would die off if the same happened for men (i.e., testosterone boosters/supplements), but there is no denying that there are more of them that target women, and that most of the industries are larger than the ones that target men.

[El_Johns]

9. Posted accompanied by a picture of a nude young woman with a good figure.

[Matariki]

28. +1 - my thought exactly

[Tuesday Afternoon]

48. irony. thick. yes.

[cyberswede]

49. Who may or may not be happy with her body - we don't know.

But that doesn't diminish the fact that lots of companies make lots of money because lots of women don't like their bodies.

[H2O Man]

10. Recommended.

Sarah Silverman addresses this topic on her recent HBO special, "We Are Miracles."

[snooper2]

11. Wouldn't that image make more sense if it was an obese woman under the sheet?

meme fail


I see the quote is from Gail Dines. I guess she figures if there were no more porn women wouldn't buy high heels anymore

[cyberswede]

14. Do you think only obese women are unhappy with their bodies?

I'm pretty sure that's not accurate.

[snooper2]

15. and what in my repsonse gave you an indication that I would think that?

.

[cyberswede]

19. Your words gave me that impression.

"Wouldn't that image make more sense if it was an obese woman under the sheet?"

and

"meme fail"

Why would the image make more sense if it were an obese woman? Why does the meme fail?

[snooper2]

23. obviously the woman under the sheet is younger and hot

according to what society deems "hot"

We should find out who she is and ask her right? You think you are attractive?


Then take the next 100 obese or women who aren't "hot" based on societies standards and ask them via secret questions what they think about their bodies. What do you think the responses would be?

The message the lady is trying to convey is love yourself no matter what you look like. Then a picture of the perfect body is attached to the "message/meme". Fail

[cyberswede]

25. So you *do* think that only obese women are unhappy with their bodies.

Again, that's not accurate.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-146021/Most-women-unhappy-bodies.html
http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2012/06/02/why-do-women-hate-their-bodies/
http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/~jpiliavi/357/body-image.htm

[snooper2]

26. If that was the case we wouldn't have bulimia

I would say that on AVERAGE obese women tend to be unhappy with their bodies more so then their skinner counterparts.

Same goes for men. (Yes, us guys talk about our bodies as well. Just a while back we were playing pool wondering why our friend James keeps a perfect weight while our bellies keep growing )


Here may be some better examples for you--

First one From Plus Magazine

[cyberswede]

33. None of that makes the "meme fail," though.

Most women are unhappy with their bodies.

Lots of companies make a lot of money because of that fact.

Many of those companies make products that have nothing to do with weight management.

Depilatories, razors
Acne treatments
Anti-aging products
Make-up, in all forms
Hair-styling products
Breast enlargements/reductions
Push-up bras
Padded underpants
Cosmetic surgery
Botox
etc...

So, the meme that industries would go out of business of women decided they liked their bodies is communicated quite well, regardless of the image chosen to accompany the quote.

[snagglepuss]

18. At first I thout snooper was bang on but I realize that you're right.

Many women regardless of their size feel bad about themselves.

[cyberswede]

21. Thanks...

Anti-aging creams, breast enlargement, eyebrow waxing, nose jobs, etc...

Not every "improvement" women* seek is about their weight.

(*My discussion of women in this post doesn't mean that I don't think men are under similar pressure; this happens to be a thread about pressures on women).

[Vashta Nerada]

35. I'm pretty sure the naked woman under the see-through sheet outside isn't unhappy with her body.

Just an FYI.

[MadrasT]

36. You'd be shocked.

Many women with conventionally attractive bodies are *very* unhappy with them.

[Vashta Nerada]

39. Uh huh.

I'm unhappy with my body and I would never stand underneath a see-though sheet naked outside.

But what do I know.

[cyberswede]

40. Nevertheless, I bet she uses some sort of beauty products.

Which is what the quote us about.

[seaglass]

20. No, it wouldn't. n/t

[awoke_in_2003]

41. Using sex to sell the message...

sounds like the advertisement industry.

[kpete]

13. Thank you

and peace,
kp

[The2ndWheel]

27. Civilization gives people time

Progress is all about being able to make things better. Add those two together, and you're going to find ways to be unhappy with something, especially if someone else is trying to sell you something.

[LittleBlue]

29. Advertisers are paid big bucks to create want

It is a nice notion to believe that people can wake up and love themselves for who they are, but very naive. Even if advertising were done away with completely, people would still be envious of celebrities and their friends.

The inborn desire to compete cannot be erased.

[DeSwiss]

30. The system thrives on conflict......

...and can't exist without it. So a desire to accept one's self as is and well as others.....

- It would kill it.

K&R

[AgingAmerican]

31. I don't think the powers that be don't control hormones

nt

[MadrasT]

38. What the fuck do "hormones" have to do with the OP?

Exactly nothing.

[AgingAmerican]

44. Hormones have a lot to do with body image

...and sexuality.

[cyberswede]

42. I'm not sure I understand your post...

Do you mean the powers that be don't control hormones? (your post has a double negative, so I'm not sure what you're saying).

[AgingAmerican]

46. The powers that be do not control hormones

...sorry for the confusion

[maxsolomon]

34. Then do it.

Wake up and like your body. Put those industries out of business.

[hfojvt]

43. one ironic thing is

Most men woke up today and already really liked the bodies of many, if not most women.

Maybe the women could listen to the men in their lives instead of "the powers that be".

[Scuba]

51. +1

[azmom]

45. My bathroom

is overflowing with products. New Years resolution is to stop the insanity.

[HockeyMom]

52. I am 65 and perfectly fine with my body

Maybe I am in the minority among women my age, and even much younger?

[HappyMe]

53. I don't think that shaving my legs and pits,

keeping my hair conditioned, dyeing it if I want, moisturizing.... indicates that I'm unhappy with my body.

I would be very unhappy if my skin was dry and itchy and my hair looked like a wad of steel wool.

[Locrian]

54. maybe

Maybe if we valued (more) women's contributions/attitudes/etc- body or not - it wouldn't even be an issue.

[herding cats]

55. The cosmetic industry alone in the US is a $40 billion dollar a year industry.

Which doesn't include plastic surgeries, medi-spas, fad diets/cleanses, shape wear, etc.

The industry is one of the best at marketing a fantasy and making people believe they can make it a reality for them. They're after the "tween" market now. They've realized they can catch them while they're young and unsure and they'll shape their insecurities for life.

[The2ndWheel]

56. Every organized effort wants to get to the young

Can't really blame a single industry for that.

[herding cats]

57. I'm not blaming, I'm just pointing out how they market to the 8-12 year olds.

That age group is a potential half a billion dollars a year in sales. Which is something parents of children who fall into that age should remember.

Ultimately I believe we parents are still the major influence in our children's self image during those years. If we teach our children to love who they are by example, they'll be less likely to grow up with an unhealthy body image themselves.

[liberal_at_heart]

58. I learned to accept myself as I am a long time ago.

I'm too busy with important stuff to waste time and money on crap that doesn't matter.

[raccoon]

59. Those who do plastic surgery and cosmetic dentistry would find their business dropping off. nt