Category Archives: objectification

Victory! Advertising Standards Authority Upholds our Complaint!

In the middle of the (Thai) night, slightly out of kilter after all the flying, and up with jet-lagged (or rather, jet-fuelled) children, I got the very good news by email that the Advertising Standards Authority had upheld a swathe of complaints against this billboard: The advertisement, like several others for the services of this […]

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Everyday Misogyny: Sexism is OK as long as it’s funny – so rules the Advertising Standards Authority

Sigh. I went to complain to the Advertising Standards Authority (yes, again) about a billboard where a naked woman’s body is used to sell… scaffolding. And cranes. And stuff like that. It came up in the feminist mothers’ Facebook group I’m part of. Lots of people were appalled at the billboard and had been complaining […]

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The Maisy Test for Sexism in Kids’ TV Shows and Movies: What to look for and what to do about it

This is something of an experimental post, so please be kind in your comments! I’d love your help to hone it. I’ve been working on it for months, so it’s time to let it out into the world and get your help. Thanks! Sexism in kids’ TV and movies I’m thoroughly, wretchedly ambivalent about children’s television and […]

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The Sacrament of Breastfeeding #4: Mary and Jesus

We don’t know for sure that Mary was a breastfeeding mother, but it seems a reasonable inference. In a time before formula and modern medical care, she would have had few other options, and if she or someone else hadn’t breastfed Jesus he would almost certainly have died in infancy, from malnourishment or water-borne disease, […]

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Everyday Misogyny: What Air New Zealand Doesn’t Understand

The story starts here, if you want to read the three posts in order. Here’s the thing: we’re not saying no one should ever wear a bikini, nor that my toddler should never see anyone in one. We’re saying that using women wearing bikinis and prancing (I checked the dictionary definition to be sure that was […]

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Everyday Misogyny: Sexism in Paradise Video Update

You’ll be astonished to know that my complaint via the Air New Zealand website (thanks Lucy for the motivation to make it) has not resulted in the ‘Safety in Paradise’ ads being withdrawn. Here’s how the correspondence has gone so far, and what I’m doing next. After I wrote this post about why I thought […]

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International Women’s Day: 8 (Easy and Hard) Ways to Make Life Better for Women

The wonderful Lucy is hosting an International Women’s Day link-up at Lulastic and the Hippyshake, so head over there for a great collection of posts. It’s International Women’s Day, so without further ado, here are 8 ways – some easy, some not – that you, yep, you can make the world a better place for girls […]

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Everyday Misogyny: What’s wrong with Air New Zealand’s Swimsuit Safety Video?

Update: I’ve been getting my complain on! For my early correspondence with Air New Zealand and the Advertising Standards Authority, click through to this update, and for Air New Zealand’s flabbergasting response to my ASA complaint, head here. I wrote most of this post a few days ago on a plane. I was flying home from […]

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Rape Culture and Rap Lyrics

Holocaust denial is now its own special category of insanity. If you want to hold a conference telling people that there was no such thing, that the Jews of Europe exaggerated the impact of the Second World War, then we won’t just say you’re a rubbish researcher, and we won’t indulge you in respect for your […]

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(Hopefully Not) Passing on Rape Culture

[Trigger warning: if you have experienced sexual assault, please just be aware that rape and rape culture are discussed in this post. Many of the links similarly lead to pages that need a trigger warning.] Sad, sickened, shocked, triggered, appalled, horrified, not-actually-that-surprised. Most New Zealanders could tick most of those boxes this week as our […]

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