A Stereotypical Advertisement for Stereotypes

It seems strange to me that in an effort to advertise a "Women's Race for Women", the headlining concept would be an incredibly stereotypical view of how women communicate. But what do I know? I'm just a passive aggressive woman.

Beautiful typography, at least.

(via www.ibelieveinadv.com)

Procrastination

Anyone else off to a slow start this morning? Perhaps I should start writing up that to-do list...

(via quipsologies)

Rele-vent

This is not something that's never been posted before, so please excuse any redundancies. But regardless of the stories told and experiences shared it is an issue and it's (most unfortunately) not going away any time soon. So I'm going to vent. Sorry.

I was browsing a forum and came across a post from a young woman. She and a few friends had attended a swingers party in light of curiosity and adventure. She had been drinking, as people do at parties. Her friends had partaken in the festivities and she stood back, not ready to experiment. At this time a man grabbed her, pulled her up against a wall, pinned her arms and painfully penetrated her. She told him to stop and that it hurt but without the ability to move, she was powerless.

A terrifying story. Her friends have been unreceptive to her remorse and she was looking to the online community she posted to, as many do, for advice and comfort.

What she was met with was largely skepticism and blame.

"If you play with fire, you will get burned"

"What did you expect?"

"What kind of weapon did he use?"

"Why didn't you scream?"

Etc., etc., etc.

All while referring to her as a slut, and the like.

Excuse my language, but what the fuck?

Why do we so often scrutinize these stories and try to find ways to blame the person who was raped. Why did you wear that dress? Why did you get drunk? Why didn't you fight more?

Yes, you have to be careful with the amount you drink. Yes, it was a risky situation. But this was all these commenters seemed to be able to dwell on. Are there not more important questions to consider?

Why do we fail to ask the predator questions about his personal responsibility. Why did you think it was okay to pin a drunk person up against a wall and force yourself on her?

Hello?

Rape is illegal. It is wrong. It makes me sick. The rapist is the problem. Not the alcohol, time, clothing, party, location or sexuality.

STOP BLAMING THE VICTIM.

Seriously. This is the hostile environment that leads to 60% of rapes being unreported. And this needs to stop. Think about it.

Candyless Strangers

"It's so cool that we've hit it off the way we have," my new acquaintance Kevin says after a 7-minute explanation of the way he strategically dilutes his pink lemonade with ice.

Bound to be a riveting friendship.

Really though, I love talking to strangers. It's my favorite thing about traveling and second favorite thing about cities (twenty Chinese food places within the same two blocks being the first.) Regardless of the often vapid conversations, it's an interesting way to learn about the general public and a good reminder that you will never figure them out. Ever.

Boy do we try, though. Particularly in advertising. We categorize, analyze and prioritize not-so-indirectly claiming that we know what they want. We might. We might not. But we're sure as hell going to sound confident enough that they might just believe our assessments over self-assessments. It's an interesting thing, the power of persuasion.

However, everyone's different. Perhaps we shouldn't be trying to speak to all of them at once. We can't. Perhaps, instead, we need to speak to the individual. Because it just so happens that we're all individuals.

Individualized messages that are consequently universal. An oxymoron for the ages. People are smarter than we often give them credit for. Complexities in advertising should be created by the observer, not thrown in their face. By providing a simple canvas that requires the observer of the ad to think and interact with your brand, it empowers the consumer. And that's pretty cool. When people really "get" each other, they often finish each other's sentences. You want your target to "get" you. To finish your sentences.

I'm on a creative exploration. For simpler solutions and simpler messages. Sometimes i talk my self in circles. I want to shrink those circles into periods. Period.

Unretouched? I'm touched.

Refreshing news. There's a makeup company that's trying something new with advertising. The standard makeup ads we've seen before generally feature a product that suggests porcelain doll-faced results. Skin that looks literally flawless. Now, I'm sure people find this appealing but I, for one, have pores and know better. Sure you want to look flawless... but let's be real. Aiming for something that doesn't really exist is seriously unhealthy. So, as a result, I'm kind of digging these ads. They're not retouched at all meaning the skin actually looks like skin. (Crazy, right?)

I won't lie. Photoshop retouching, though amazing, scares the shit out of me. Especially when media produced images have such an influence on our culture and ideologies. It's outrageous the way a face can be completely transformed yet presented as the "norm". I mean, seriously, when did freckles become so unappealing?? M. Seth Jones has some amazing Photoshop skills, no doubt, but his gallery is enough to make your jaw drop with concern.

The brand, Makeup For Ever, has produced an interactive (and pretty creatively shot) video that reminds you of a masquerade ball as well as some print ads that remind you of your friends' self-taken Facebook photos.

Now, don't get me wrong. The models in these photos and videos have pretty damned near flawless skin to begin with. It's easy to go natural when you look as if you've never had a blemish in your life. Or hey, perhaps that means the make up is actually doing it's job. Unfortunately, a product that is designed for the sole purpose of helping us attempt to achieve a feigned and unnecessary version of perfection isn't really what we need to better ourselves. But makeup can also be looked at as art, I think. And realism isn't the only style out there.

Regardless, I think this campaign takes us a step closer to advertising that's a bit more interested in treating consumers as real people rather than could-be's and should-be's. And I'm happy to recognize that step.

Planned Parenthood saved from budget cut

This afternoon, Senate voted against the bill that would cut Planned Parenthood funding. The bill, created by House Republicans, was rejected 44-56. Though Senate has a long way to go before effective action is taken on the budget--demands on both sides run unrealistic as of now--this is exciting news for the thousands of people out there who depend on Planned Parenthood for the benefit of their sexual health. Planned Parenthood is an important resource and I refuse to let the government ignore it's value and jeopardize the rights of youth--both men and women--like me.

Sadly, I missed the Springfield, Mo. area Feminist Happy Hour today, but I'd like to raise a glass to all of my fellow women out there. Cheers to strong and empowered voices being heard!

The Washington Post posted a well-opinionated sketch of the Senate's decisions (or lack there of). I encourage you to read it.

To celebrate, Here's a truly awesome video shot by students at Wesleyan University in Connecticut.

In Cowboy Country

My father would be appalled...

...his daughter, that he raised so carefully to be a Washington Redskins fan, in Dallas, Texas--enemy territory.

Turns out Dallas isn't such a bad place to be, though, especially if you're in the advertising industry. I came to realize at the AAF student conference last fall, that a lot of great talent comes out of Southern Methodist University, and today I had an opportunity to explore some of the local gardens of advertising creativity.

Moroch is everything I anticipated and more. I, once again, felt that exciting rush of adrenaline as we walked through the expansive agency. The size is overwhelming but that atmosp

here sparks that competitive determination that's in the recipe for any great advertising effort.

Duncan/Day's office was beautiful and filled (well, not so "filled" on a late Friday afternoon) with the kind of people who have that relaxed and confident air about them--the kind of people I would kill to do some concepting with. Creativity was seeping through the walls, as I looked around and imagined myself working in a small agency similar to their's.

And a trip to see Rebecca from Rebecca Hackl Events veered us away from our traditional advertising path. She gave us new insights from an industry so different yet so similar to the communication field in countless ways.

All-in-all, the DC Networks 2011 Career Quest was a success. I am so grateful to be part of an organization of individuals who continue to inspire me everyday. Our ambitions got us to Dallas--I'm excited to learn of the future adventures that I know these young professionals will pursue.

With that, I'm off to explore this sun-kissed city a little longer. If anyone out there has recommendations for food, drink, nightlife or Saturday activities, please connect with me and let me know! @LNNS