Feeling Alone

Jean Kilbourne, a recognized speaker and researcher on the affects of advertising, spoke on campus tonight. Upper Gwinn was packed with people (mostly women). She had a slide presentation that was 45 min of ads that are in popular magazines that target many different ages. They were shocking and many of them caused me to turn my head and not want to look at them. I was floored and stunned speechless. Nudity in Calvin Klein and Abercrombie ads when they're advertising clothing (supposedly), a close up of a woman in a bra with one of the straps broken and being tied together with fishing line (saying that there's no stronger fishing line), ads that objectify women by portraying them as beer bottles, ads that tell young girls that their breasts will never be good enough. What shocked me the most, though, were the ads that actually promoted violence against women. I couldn't believe my eyes. Pictures of women with blood on them from being battered (Christian Dior ad) and an ad for perfume that said "Put it on your neck so he can kiss you while you shake your head and tell him 'no.'" Ads that tell us that women saying "no" really means "yes" and that violence against her is her fault. Ads that silence the voices of women. Ads that objectify and dehumanize. These are what our culture sees, these are what are setting the standards and morals of youth in our nation. And I guess I really want to know where everyone else is. Sara and I were talking afterwards about how we feel terribly alone on this campus when it comes to women's issues. Outside of my women's studies classes and many of our faculty, I feel alone. Our campus is 75% women, yet the majority of our population is contributing and putting up with the oppression and silencing of women at SPU. And the thing with advertising is that it isn't soley a feminist issue, but rather a human right's issue. So where is everyone?