This is in People magazine. I'm just glad I'm not on a plane reading it next to a man. The ad reads..."Goddess of Swept Off My Feet". That doesn't even make sense. Then it mentions how this razor has 5 blades "completely surrounded by a ribbon of moisture. It's our closest shave for your closest moments." Um, yeah, they are pretty close.
Now, I am no prude and I wasn't born yesterday (a few years ago I saw an old friend at a mutual friend's wedding and she told me how she'll never forget how at age 15 I'd read Cosmo magazine articles to my friends--she told me she learned a lot actually).
But what is with this position? I see it everywhere. Well, what I mean is I see it on TV all the time. Well, I definitely see this jumping up and leg straddling action at least three times on every episode of the Bachelor and the Bachelorette show. Every time the Bachelorette is happy to see her guy, they run to each other and assume this position. I keep waiting for the guy to drop the gal.
Anyway this photo has to be Photoshopped. You can't even see the guy's right arm. Anyway, just thought I'd share and see if I was getting too old and crotchety (I swear that word just came out with no pun intended!).
24 comments:
maybe the company likes to hire amputees...and therefore his right arm is missing...and they like to hire men with amazing strength! {sorry my humor might be of bad taste}
it is a wee bit strange this ad...i love your use of crotchety! that is a word that perfectly fits such craziness...i really just don't get these ads...as if after seeing it i am going to run out and purchase this blade~i mean for goodness sakes it has moisturizer surrounding the blade...what more could i ask for...well maybe her body!
No, not old and crotchety. Just wondering how we came to this point. A few years ago a I wandered into Abercombie and Fitch store with one of my sons. I was in awe of the photos on the walls of bare flesh teenagers - nothing showing - just suggestion. I liked it. Decided to get my kids out of there. Haven't visited since, but certainly pretty photos. (dirty old lady, here.)
I used to read Cosmo when I babysat at other people's houses. I learned a lot too!
Yeah. Ribbon of fucking moisture. Surrounding five blades.
I'm sorry. Going off to puke in the corner now.
Thank you very much! This crotchity old lady is there with you! Every time I see it I think 'are you kidding me?'. Because even back in the day, when I had a nice bod and was 98 pounds, I did not assume this position on the beach or anywhere else in public! It's gotten to where I cringe every time I see half the commercials on tv, especially about male enhancements and those damn lubricants for him and her. Then there's the one every morning and late afternoon (the assumption being that only women will be watching tv) by the Bloom Study, for women who have lost their desire for sex and want to be in a study for a new cream to get it back. We are surrounded by every aspect of sex - including ads and commercials with suggestive content and pictures - to the point that it's ridiculous. I cringe when I think that one day the boys will ask me what male enhancement or personal lubricant is! (How do you handle this stuff with your boys?)It's not that I'm a prude, in fact I'm very open about this stuff, I JUST DON'T NEED TO SEE IT ALL THE TIME IN AN IN-YOUR-FACE MANNER! I'm just not sure where this need to put all things sexual out there came from, how it got so far away from the Victorian age when it was behind the curtains so to speak. This particular ad speaks to the old adage that SEX SALES. Make no mistake about it, they knew perfectly well that the brain would go immediately to the crotch area and you'd remember the ad because of the position. I know your comment was more about the ridiculous position and it probably being photo-shopped, but ...
Hmmm. Maybe I AM a crotchity old prude.
Of course I meant sex SELLS, not sales! Although that's pretty funny!
It's awful. The world is FULL of it: Television, magazines, stores at the mall (V.S, Abercrombie) It makes me upset for my kids. We avoid all of it but it is everywhere. My poor 11 year completely turned sideways (yesterday) as walked thru the mall when passed V.S. He then asked me (upset), "Mom, WHY do they put pics of ladies not dressed?!!? I had to explain why, (which is no fun) but proud of him for turning away...WE have to protect our kids! loved ur post.
The ads in Europe are much racier, and they have much lower rates of teenage pregnancy.
Prudery of any kind is bad. Bad for society, bad for women, bad for kids (long term on this one). A brief romp through mid-19th century history can clear that one up.
The ad doesn't bother me. The reaction? Does.
Hee hee, crotchety! I am more troubled by the nonsensical copy, as you say. Goddess of Swept off my feet?" And that dude is definitely photoshopped around the tummy area. I guess his poor arm was a casualty.
The ads are really crazy. I work for a company that has several preschools. Back in the day children would work on their sorting and cutting skills by cuting pictures out of magazines. Today we can't even let any magazines in our Centers, even the ones that you think are so innocent, because of the ads. It is really crazy.
I guess there are a lot of us crotchety old women around!
sorry pushed publish before I could leave my site! I guess I was getting fired up! Ha Ha
"Old and crotchety" and you say no pun was intended? Mmmkay. But I've got Freud's direct dial . . . developing.
I'm reminded of the Sure antiperspirant commercial exhortations:
"Raise your hands if you feel dry now, raise your hands if you're sure!"
Or wait. Was it "raise your arms"?
Damn. What was it we were supposed to raise when we were sure?
; )
Great post, and I feel better after reading MOST of the comments except one, b/c it's good to know I'm not the only one. You know it's bad when a woman without children (me, duh!) feels afraid and offended for others' children, or gets mad thinking, "what if I saw that and I had a 7 year old with me?" I was accosted and harrassed once in front of a Bloomie's that was having a fur sale by animal rights activists protesting the sale. I have NO problem with their objective, but their posters were terrifying and frightening graphic images of animal abuse. I was outraged to think that if I had a young one in tow, they would have been forced to see the images as we had no way of bypassing them. Lately, LA is full of giant billboards that are sexually explicit. Hard to avoid them while you're driving down the street. Again, this means that IF I had a kid, he/she would be forced to see it. As a former journalist, I am actually against censorship, mostly b/c in most cases people have the freedom to censor for themselves, and they should if that is what they want. But in situations where that freedom is unavailable, don't force your image on me. To The Mother: prudery is not my choice, but it is a personal, individual choice, not a social or cultural convention. And not wanting to see sexual poses attempt to sell me anything does not prove I'm prudish, it just proves that my wallet is not connected to my groin.
I'm with you. Totally.
Questionable photography all the way around - from the Photoshopped arm to the completely ridiculous and unnatural pose. (sorry, that's the old creative director in me speaking)
But what bugs me the most? Her toes. Honest to goodness - if you're going to publically fling your thing around a man, look graceful for Pete's sake.
I wouldn't call you (us) a prude by any stretch. What I would say is that you have class. Sadly, a character trait that seems to be in short supply in this TMI/PC Nation.
Excellent post.
P.S. You should totally send this to Photoshop Disasters...
http://photoshopdisasters.blogspot.com/
Back again to look for the right arm. It's definitely not there.
And look at his torso. It is bizarrely elongated . . . very weird.
I am SO SICK of these ads. It's to the point I have to be careful about my daughter picking my magazines up or I have way too much to explain to an 8 year old. I've been in love....on a beach...and I never, ever struck this pose.
But then again, a one armed man couldn't hold me up either, so there's that.
My Adventures After: How can you be against censorship and for censoring this ad?
Little kids do not read People magazine. We're talking teens, at least. There is no actual sex going on, he's just picking her up (admittedly suggestively).
My point remains: historically (and if you don't believe me, I strongly recommend that you spend some time reading the history of sex, sexual repression, gender relationships and women's rights) ANY attempt to regulate sexuality and censor sexually suggestive literature brings with it an entire host of problems with which I sincerely doubt the modern woman would be willing to put up.
Educate the kids about sex; protect them, if you will, from "vile" images. But do not begin to decide what is acceptable for me or my kids.
Sorry, that's my department.
To The Mother: totally agreed, it's a conundrum, but read my comment. I want censorship and protection to be my responsibility, as you do, but feel totally held hostage when the choice, which is the opposite of censorship, is unavailable to me. It means I am held hostage by the advertiser, as in a billboard. My post said nothing about censoring the ad, just agreeing with others that it is a nuisance and ridiculous. We're all educated here, which is exactly why I find the ad an insult to any thoughtful consumer. To the publishers: think of your entire audience. To the advertisers: be more responsible.
Hysterical comments about the amputee guy, and I totally agree about her feet. Why are her toes curled? Hmmm....
Geez, are they that hard up to sell razors? Pun intended.
Why do I now feel the need to throw away my Venus razor? And never buy one again?
Of course, one razor lasts me far too many years, so it's not like they'll lose much.
But still. Ickety ick ick.
Well, that's just lame!
I came over from Wander to the Wayside...loved the post. My first thought was "whew..thought I was the only one who thought this way!" I've looked at the ad and had to laugh because all I could think was, man, his back will totally be out by tomorrow...(hubby is a Chiro)Now that you've pointed out his missing arm I really did laugh out loud!
I know I'm late, but this is so funny! You're so right...it's a totally lame ad. the copy is horrible, and the photo is just plain weird--looks so unnatural. Though he is very strong for a one-armed man. ;)
That is so funny! I would have never noticed his arm was missing. Your post made me laugh, the things I just brush over. Guess I should pay closer attention.
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