Now they’re using breasts to market to women?
Um, yeah, I’m not lying.
It’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month yet again and everything’s awash with pink. Eew. Listen, I heart pink but too much of a pink thing is not as awesome as it may appear at first.
I’ve been seeing these pictures all over the place for months. And I’ve been fuming. But I never did anything about it. Until today. Today I’ve reached my tipping point — I saw the ad in two different women’s magazines: Fairlady and Marie Claire. So I wrote to Innoxa. They have a contact form on their website; however, you can also write to them at care@incolabs.co.za as well as P.O. Box 71535, Bryanston, 2021 or, if you’re in the area, go say ‘Hi’ — 3 Muswell Road South Bryanston. This is what I sent to them:
I’m offended by your ‘You’ll want to show it off campaign’. You’re reducing women’s breasts to something that they should expose — literally! — to others. And the ‘others’ are probably cis men, though I could be wrong. I don’t know who came up with this campaign but it’s a slap in the face of any woman who has had, or who is struggling with breast cancer right now. I saw the ad in Marie Claire as well as in Fairlady and you advertised your wares with the obligatory pink ribbon for Breast cancer awareness month. Even when you don’t tie the product in with breast cancer awareness, it is still just another ad that relies on breasts.
Please reconsider using this campaign.
I should’ve added something like this:
They try to justify their campaign in the press release. I don’t buy it. So what if a female creative team created this ad? That doesn’t make it less offensive. Their justification for using breasts falls flat on its face, too:
Just as you show a beautiful face when selling face cream – we felt it necessary to show off the part of the body that our product targets.
So would it be OK to show genitalia in ads that promote the specific products associated with them? Why is it OK to show breasts in advertising? Are we not already inundated with too much nudity? Especially in ‘art’. Walk into any exhibition and you’ll probably see a naked woman. Because women’s bodies are beautiful. Funny, that. I find men’s bodies as beautiful but you rarely see a naked man in advertising.
Sex doesn’t sell; women’s naked bodies do.
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Wow never thought about it that was but yea i guess you right to some women it can be like a slap in the face but maybe they do it like that to market it more
I understand what you are getting at with the “exploiting the woman” thing, but think about this.
1. The women in these type of adverts are posing willingly, and obviously does not have a problem with it.
2. There are people who can look at breasts and appreciate it for its beauty and purpose and not see something shameful and bad that has to be hidden behind 5 bras and 2 top coats.
3. Homosapiens (human/man) was naked for a very long time – modern man has for various reasons of which mostly religious and functional decided to cover hes body with “clothing” and children are brought up the same way “no!! go put some cloths on, the people can see your willy” and this is the only reason why we are shy of showing our breasts/genitals etc. to others – if we had grown up in a all naked community it would have been the most natural thing for us to walk naked in front of each other – where looking at someone else’s breasts would be the same as looking at their feet.
look at these pics and decide for yourself.
http://www.amazon-tribes.com/Tribal-Women.jpg
http://herd.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451e1dc69e20105358bcb53970c-pi
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QVW98iGMXHI/Sw__kBckjFI/AAAAAAAAJpk/NZqpexcgiOM/s1600/impa-abmpix-3495.jpg
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QVW98iGMXHI/Sw__kCiDgwI/AAAAAAAAJps/FG7ifpuKoBE/s1600/impa-abmpix-16598.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y110/headwideopen/chemiakin_cybele.jpg
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QVW98iGMXHI/Sw__k-h0cvI/AAAAAAAAJp8/SO3YHE4Sl3o/s1600/nigerian+girl.jpg
1) We’re not talking about the model right now. The fact that she doesn’t have a problem with posing half naked is besides the point, ie, a red herring.
2) I love my breasts and I’d like to think my lover also loves them. But I don’t see why we should use breasts as a selling point. Why use breasts to sell, especially when you’re advertising around Breast Cancer day?
3) That’s besides the point. Fact is that we’re living in a society that doesn’t condone naked breasts, for various reasons.
…you have just lost this debate
You presented irrelevant points so no, I did not lose this debate.
BTW, the woman in the advertisement has fantastic breasts and I would buy the product any day – if I was looking for foot cream and the guy model had fantastic feet I would probably also buy it.
I think its time for this whole planet to stop petty nonsense and focus on the real issues at hand, and lets all enjoy the beautiful things that remain… like beautiful breasts.
Your question to me:
“2) I love my breasts and I’d like to think my lover also loves them. But I don’t see why we should use breasts as a selling point. Why use breasts to sell, especially when you’re advertising around Breast Cancer day?”
….why is it right to use FEET to sell FOOT cream? FEET=FOOT CREAM and BREASTS = BREAST CANCER DAY
I think your problem with this is really about your own inhibitions – like I said earlier, the majority of people like seeing naked breasts or naked feet for that matter.
So should we use erect penises to sell Viagra?
mmmm, I think they already do in countries where people are more liberated.
So it’s OK to do something if someone else or another country does it?