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I did not watch the SuperBowl.  Proudly.  But my stance on professional sports is a topic for another discussion.  Anyway, if there’s one thing that the SuperBowl is known for (besides hypermasculinity and large men in spandex trying to kill each other in addition to rubbing up against one another and grunting in a totally non-sexual way – wait, another post, right) it’s envelope pushing advertisements.  These are being covered all over the place today, so here are some links to get you thinking about the fallout.

Woes Of Bros: Super Bowl Ads Star Pathetic Men — And The Women Who Ruined Them [Jezebel]

Knowing that Super Bowl Sunday is the only day of the year in which TV viewers actually care about commercials, you’d think ad agencies would have tried to reach the men and the women watching at home, right? Wrong.

Superbowl Sexism: Spineless, skirtless edition [feministing]

I’m sensing an anxious masculinity theme for the Superbowl commercials this year. I mean, we get it, dudes: You’re worried about being castrated by lavender scented candles and shopping with your lady friend. Go kill something, quick! And for the love of god, stop being nice to your girlfriend.

The Super Bowl and Madison Avenue Misogyny [feministe]

Superbowl ads are sexist. This is well trod ground: Marketers objectify women and play up stereotypes in order to sell things to (heterosexual) men. But we knew this year was going to be special. This year there was going to be some extra anti-feminist flavor… There were fewer half-naked women and dick jokes this year. Instead, the 2010 Superbowl Ad Mantra seemed to have one common theme: “Feeling castrated? . . . by women? Man up.”

The Critics On The Super Bowl Ads: Boring, Misogynistic [Jezebel]

• From Time’s James Poniewozik:

Wow, Super Bowl ad men really hate Super Bowl ad women this year, don’t they? …. Why would CBS turn down a Super Bowl ad from a gay-dating service, then run a bunch of ads with the message that men can’t stand to be around women?

• From  Slate’s Seth Stevenson:

Is it me, or was this year’s dose of casual misogyny a little rawer and angrier than usual?

• From The Washington Post’s Tom Shales:

An oddly recurring theme had to do with men asserting their masculinity, or attempting to assert it, as well as the perpetual male fear of emasculation.

• NOW via the Los Angeles Times:

NOW president Terry O’Neill said it glorified violence against women. “I am blown away at the celebration of the violence against women in it,” she said.

Looks like a big mess.  Did I miss any good critiques of last night’s ads?  Feel free to leave your own responses as well as links to more posts in the comments.

CBS doesn’t want America to think about Choice, so we have to do it virally.  Here are some awesome counterpoints to the anti-choice rhetoric that is being crammed down our throats with Doritos and beer this SuperBowl Sunday, starting with Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards explanation of the meaning of Choice:

For a multitude of reasons I will not be watching the SuperBowl today, but welcome any tips on who the winners and losers in advertising are this year.

Lately I’ve caught a bunch of these Broadview Security commercials, and they kind of make me want to mace the advertising advisers.  But, Current’s Sarah Haskins covers this better than I could hope to.

So, to all of those of you who aren’t white women, enjoy your new year.  For those of you who are white women, COWER IN FEAR or buy a Broadview Security system.  Or, you know, take a self-defense course, join a neighborhood watch, carry a cell phone and/or can of mace, or…

Because reverse objectification isn’t any better than the status quo.

This ad stinks.

We’ve been over this, people. Girls (and women) play too. We don’t just watch our boyfriends play in amazement.

Even if it weren’t for this commercial, this isn’t the type of game I’d typically choose, but I have certainly known my share of bad@$$ gamer women who destroy male gamers on Halo and other shooter and action games.

Marketers would do well to realize that women are a viable video-game market, and they should try catering to us without the pink and romance and stop insulting our intelligence in male-targeted games.

One thing is for sure: moms are annoying!  They’re always doing irritating and embarrassing things, like trying to “save money” and “look out for their families.”  Just ask the marketers over at AT&T!  They know what’s up!

Exhibit A

Dads are, like, so much cooler than moms.  Hahaha, lactose intolerant.  Good one, dad!

Exhibit B

Plus, she’s always telling me to help out around the house, and when I try to make a buck at our stupid garage sale she blows my deal!

Exhibit C

And then she gives you that stare when you ask for something?  Like, “I’ve told you a million times, and I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed?”  Mom’s are so lame!

Marketers love stereotyping their customers, and AT&T happily targets moms.  I understand that there are probably a lot of moms out there who can identify with this woman’s bratty teens, but this is just one more example of the nagging wife/mother trope that is so overused in media today.  What if instead of playing into the stereotypes, marketers treated their consumers with respect and demonstrated some positive family images?  I’m not asking for Leave It To Beaver, but I am asking for change.

By now you’ve probably seen one of those irritating kgb commercials for a service that allows you to text that annoying question that you can’t think of the answer to to someone who will find it for you for a dollar.  Aside from the fact that you could just keep your pants on long enough to get to a computer and look it up yourself, and aside from the fact that kgb is the acronym for the USSR’s communist secret police, those ridiculous ads have crossed the line from stupid to offensive.

First, I saw this one.

Then came this one:

And for good measure, lets add a little racism to the mix:

Awesome.  Listen – save your dollar, write your question on a napkin, and look it up yourself.  Maybe look up “How can we end the objectifican of women in the media?” or “How can we eliminate racial stereotypes as a source of humor?” or “How can 99 cents make the world a better place?” or “How can I get these stupid commercials off my tv?”

Once again, the gendered marketing of a food item blows my mind.  Either Klondike bars are for men, or women just aren’t worth advertising to.  Or both.

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

Exhibit C

So what have we learned here?  That men should be rewarded for being nice to their in-laws, putting their dishes in the dishwasher, and that they deserve ice cream treats for the body-hair removal that is now pushed like its mandatory for women.  Actually, being nice to in-laws and doing the dishes were already mandatory for women, too.

In other words, when a man condescends to women’s work in social, homemaking, or physical appearance domains, they deserve a reward.

Beautiful.  Good thing there are lots of other (tastier) ice cream options in the frozen isle.

You thought juice was just for kids.  WRONG.  Juice is for men.  Know how I can tell?  Because the new Minute Maid commercial is kind of like those Twix commercials.  But “healthier.”

Because frat boys and nuns are a hilarious combination.

Thanks but no thanks, Minute Maid.  I’ll stick to Tropicana, Juicy Juice, Sunkist, Welch’s, Naked, Mott’s, V8, Florida Natural…  Pretty much anything else.

Somehow, a beautiful blonde white woman in the middle of a field, surrounded by what appear to be hundreds of Asians whose actions are involuntarily tied to the young woman’s cell phone (frequently including bowing towards her) doesn’t make me think “Ooh, shiny new cell phone!  Must have!”  What about you?

Makes you go “hmm…”

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