I really enjoyed the video of Jean Kilbourne. However, I found “Killing Us Softly” to be alarmingly true. I completely agree with everything she had to say. Advertisements have been degrading women for years; regardless of what is trying to be sold. From clothes to alcohol and everything in between these is a negative association with women.
The one I found the most disturbing was definitely the advertisement for the watch. This particular add showed an extremely skinny, decrepit, white woman wearing minimal, transparent clothing and a watch up around her upper arm; meaning that this woman’s upper arm is the same size as a normal woman’s wrist! What is the most ironic part? That without Ms. Kilbourne explaining that the advertisement was for a watch I never would have known. Without an explanation I thought the message was that women should stop eating, but no, the message was that women should buy this watch.
Thankfully, advertisements like this are no longer as common as they once were. Today there are advertisements that show women of all shapes, sizes, colors, and ethnicity. As mentioned in class today CoverGirl makeup now has Queen Latifa and Ellen DeGeneres as there spokeswomen; an African American women and a lesbian. I think this is an ideal example of the strides women are making in the world of advertising and marketing, and I’m sure that in the years to come this beautiful trend will continue.
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The watch advertisement really is a disturbing one. It's good that you compare "Killing Us Softly" with some more contemporary advertisements. I often worry that the video is a little too dated, but the sad part is that the arguments she makes are still evident. I'm glad that you went the step further to think about the video's applicability now.
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