This is what I was talking about before

[trinityvixen]

There is a truly awful ad for JCPenny running around about how men who give thoughtless presents to their wives/girlfriends (usually of the sexist stereotype sort, like vacuum cleaners, et al.) end up in "the dog house." The ad is a travesty first and foremost because it's about thirty years long. So, do yourself a favor and don't watch it:

The fact that it's sexist is not surprising to anyone viewing it. Where I disagreed with some is that it's just anti-male. Au contraire! It's equal opportunity in its ability to mock, offend, and belittle both sexes! Men are stupid! Women are shallow! Thank you, Sarah Haskins, for taking jewelry commercials apart:

Comments

[mithras03.livejournal.com]

My least favorite commercial this year has been one for Playskool. They've created this fold-out plush mini house for girls (all pink of course) where they can "explore their dreams." The only activities on offer when you open it up are baking plush muffins and doing plushy laundry. And then the mom comes in and looks all proud that her daughter MADE PLUSH MUFFINS! OOOOOOOOOH! Live your dreams girls! I did quite well when I was little imagining all sorts of things out of the box our refrigerator came in - yes, sometimes it was a house, but other times, it was a spaceship! Look at that!

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I've seen those ads. Nothing like gender-segregating kids from the get-go so that you can turn around and scream about how girls really do just like baking and cleaning later...

[chuckro.livejournal.com]

I didn't have a dream house like that, but still like baking and doing laundry. Obviously it doesn't have the same necessary correllation for boys--maybe if I'd had one, all that pink would have made me catch TEH GAY.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

Possibly, but just think of how much sooner you could have gotten started on the making of good foods if you'd had a little pink dream house of your own.

[chuckro.livejournal.com]

The other thing that occurs to me, is that I don't want my kids to have little plastic ovens that produce little plastic cakes. I want my kids to learn how to bake real food with real ovens. I loved my fake stove and collection of plastic food as a kid, but I liked making real snacks out of my superhero cookbook or with my easy-bake oven even more.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

I don't see anything wrong with letting them have both. They should have the play stuff to tide them over when Mom and Dad can't supervise the real baking.

[jendaby.livejournal.com]

I think my son is far more excited about trying to help clean and bake than my daughter. I also know he is more clothing obsessed. :)

It is so weird to think that we still have gender stereotypes today. I remember my mother bringing me to women's rights rallies 30 years ago, and one would think that, by now, things would have changed. I guess that thinking is merely wishful.

And, OMG, you warned me about the first video. I didn't finish it, but it was hideous.

[saikogrrl.livejournal.com]

I just love it at work when I see little boys buying the rainbow magic fairy series, or guys buying twilight books for themselves, or girls buying the boys fantasy/adventure series :)

Break that stereotype!

[hslayer.livejournal.com]

Is it not "equal-opportunity" to mock both sexes? While mockery may not be an ideal sales tactic, I don't think it's morally wrong to mock everyone in the world equally. At that point you're just observing the objective truth that most people are dumb.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

I know, right? The commercial is way too long for the BLEEDING AWFUL point it wants to drive home. I can't believe anyone wasted money on that shit.

[saikogrrl.livejournal.com]

I also get frustrated when parents dismiss a recommendation I make (like "don't pat the wombat" which I loved when I was younger) because onoes all the main characters are boys and so she won't like that... It's their reinforcing the "this story is too girly for him or to boyish for her" that means the kids won't read it, if they were just given it as a good story they would enjoy it.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

It would be nice if boys could follow heroines as willingly as girls have followed heroes. Go little boys go!

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

The problem I have is that the equal opportunity offender is upholding gender stereotypes despite many contrary facts--like men I know being incredibly thoughtful gift-givers (of which you're one), or women I know who aren't bought off being upset at not being thought of at all. (That would be all of us because we're people and people generally, legitimately feel like shit when others don't treat them as the individuals they are.)

Basically, this isn't mocking men and women; it's reducing them to caricature and denying that they are capable of caring, non-bribery dependent (sex for jewelry and vice versa) love. Fuck that noise. I'm not that cynical.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

Just as I said above: the characters being interesting enough to keep the girl or boy's attention should be all that is required to enjoy it. Ugh, a friend of mine does voice lessons for children and the parents freaked out at her for giving their son a "girly" song to sing. Forget that that was what he could sing and liked! No, he must be A MAN. (And you're getting him voice lessons...because that is sooooo manly?)

[hslayer.livejournal.com]

If you don't want to become that cynical, don't ask m'lady about what I got her for her birthday!! :P

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

See, I won't assume there, but the idea that getting somebody something that might not be "right" to get them is part of the problem. This stupid ad makes it seem like you can't get mundane stuff for your partner ever because that's Just. Wrong. Which is bullshit. If your partner happens to be REALLY excited by the idea of, say, a blender, like I got for my birthday last year, and you get them a blender, that's thinking of them not being part of the oooh evil patriarchy.

(Whereas buying her off with any expensive, useless bit of pretty would be--unless that's what she, the individual, wants.)

[droidguy1119.livejournal.com]

While sexist caricature is a different argument, it'd be hard to say that commercials don't regularly reduce people of all types to caricature. Unlike that commercial, most of the ones out there are only about 30 seconds long.

[umeyard.livejournal.com]

*falls over laughing*
BRILLIANT

i love the he went to jared comment, we say that all the time!