Just some good ol' fashioned ad-busting

I used to do a lot of ad-busting when I was in university. I even taught ad-busting workshops to teens and university students. I haven't done any in a while and I kinda miss it, so I thought I'd post a few of my favourite busted ads and maybe it'll help inspire me to do more!

Who entered the “Breast Summer Ever” contest, and why?

The judges for Amp Radio’s controversial contest for a $10,000 breast augmentation have picked their 10 finalists. Now it’s up to the public to vote on who is most deserving of the boob job.



Since I first heard about this contest, I was curious to see would enter, their reasons for entering, and whose story would resonate most with the public and win the ultimate prize. Each contestant has made a video, which are posted online. I watched each one and here are their reasons for wanting breast augmentation:

• 4/10 women had lost weight, which changed the size and shape of their breasts. They talk about the “excess skin” left over after weight loss and how their breasts just don’t look right anymore.
  
  
• 3/10 of the women talked about nursing children and the toll that having kids takes on your body. Basically, they want their pre-baby boobies back.
  
  
• 3/10 had sob stories, but surprisingly there were no cancer survivors. One woman has a large burn mark that covers her right breast, another has "lop-sided" breasts, and one had a rare disease that made her very thin and unable to develop breasts during puberty.
  
  
• 1 woman is transgender (she was born male but is transitioning to female).
  
  
• 1 woman said she wanted a lift and reduction, as she is a size FF and would like to be average sized.

I was a little disheartened to see how many women discussed their post-pregnancy bodies and how they want their old body back. Why can’t we accept that women’s bodies change after pregnancy? Our bodies change throughout our lives – why is an aging body or a post-baby body seen as something that needs to be fixed? (News flash, ladies! You can’t stop aging. You just can’t. Stop wasting your time, money and effort trying to, and accept your aging body instead. I promise life will be a lot more fun that way).



There is an unreal amount of pressure on women to get back to how they looked before the baby. Trashy celebrity tabloids publish issues with headlines like, My body after baby - How I lost 25 lbs in 8 weeks. The pressure is so strong that I actually know women who are choosing not to have children because they’re afraid of what it will do to their bodies. Says Katie Gentile in an article from the Daily Beast,

When women shed the baby weight, they are not merely getting back their pre-baby body, they are obliterating all the evidence of ever having had a baby in the first place. This means the one thing that only women's bodies can do is expected to be immediately erased. The post-baby body is wrung of its recent life-giving feat. Sagging milk-filled breasts must appear perky; the once-swollen abdomen is made concave. It's as if we should actually believe the baby dropped from the stork, from the sky, from anywhere but that toned, buff body.

To me, part of being a feminist is accepting and not judging other women’s decisions and choices. So I’m not going to rag on the women who entered this contest or judge them for what they want. But many of the women talked about gaining or improving self-confidence through breast augmentation surgery, and I think they’re missing a key piece to the self-confidence puzzle. Self confidence is an internal thing – it comes from knowing who you are, knowing your values and what you stand for, setting and accomplishing goals and knowing that you are worthy of happiness and love. True self confidence, self acceptance and self love come from the inside – plastic surgery is an external procedure that will not fix an internal problem.



I won’t be voting for any of these ladies because I fundamentally disagree with the contest. I think the contest promotes body dissatisfaction and the idea that self confidence can be instantly achieved with a surgical procedure. Also, Amp Radio has a young audience and I know lots of kids listen to it. I think it normalizes plastic surgery for young people when they hear about it as a “fun contest.” Our society’s obsession with perfect bodies has gone too far, and I refuse to be a part of anything that perpetuates endless discontent with one’s body.



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Check out some of the contests in Canada offered by ReadersDigest.ca

Britain May Ban Photoshopping in Ads

Here's some exciting news from across the pond: The Liberal Democratic party in Britain are calling for a complete ban on Photoshopping in ads aimed at those under 16, and want all other ads to carry a disclaimer describing how the image has been photoshopped. They also recommend "media literacy" lessons to teach kids about advertising techniques.

This comes after an Olay "eye illuminator" advertising campaign was launched featuring 59-year-old Twiggy, one of Britain's most famous models. With only a few lines around her eyes and mouth, this is a completely unrealistic image of a woman who's almost 60. Twiggy herself has even publicly stated that she is against botox and plastic surgery, and embraces aging naturally. It makes you wonder what she thinks about all this photoshopping that's been done to her face, but I suspect that the models/subjects of these advertisements have little say in the procedure.

Jezebel has more on this fascinating topic.

Twiggy in the Olay advertising campaign that has sparked much debate.

A recent image of Twiggy that has not been photoshopped.

Why Can't We Love the Skin We're In?

Women in India, Africa and Asia buy skin-lightening cream to whiten their skin. In many of those cultures, lighter skin is associated with a higher social/economic class and is highly desirable. Here in North America, we've got white girls frying themselves in tanning beds to become darker. Why can't we just be comfortable with the skin we're in?

Here's my theory: If women were happy with their appearence, cosmetic companies and tanning salons wouldn't make money. In the 1950's, advertising executives firgued out that when women feel shitty about themselves, they'll spend money to try and fix the problem. Advertising uses a technique that I like to call "create a problem, offer a solution." It works like this: First, they make you aware of some "problem" such as wrinkles around the eyes. Wrinkles are NOT a problem, they are a natural part of the aging process, and something we can do nothing about. But once the advertisement has convinced you that wrinkles are a serious problem that you CAN fix with anti-wrinkle cream, you'll go out and buy it. That's how they suck you in. Low self esteem equals big spending.

My advice: Stop reading women's magazines that feature these ads. Mute the commercials while you're watching TV. And don't ever let any stupid fucking advertisement make you feel shitty about yourself. You are a divine creation, beautiful in every stage of your life. You don't need anti-wrinkle cream, anti-cellulite cream, make-up, tanning salons, skin-whitening cream, hair dye, hair extensions, breast implants, lip plumpers or any thing else like that. Instead of spending money on that crap, spend a little time learning to love yourself, and I guarantee you'll develop REAL self confidence and save money.

Ellen Degeneres' Cover Girl Commercial

Have y'all seen Ellen selling her soul to corporate America in this Cover Girl commercial? What do you think about it?

The first line of the commercial is "Inner beauty is important, but not nearly as important as outer beauty." I know that Ellen is probably just being funny and sarcastic, but it still bothers me. The whole thing bothers me, actually. I've always had a lot of respect for Ellen (and still do) but I'm a little disappointed she's become a spokesperson for the whole anti-aging cosmetic industry. I thought she was a little more... cool... than that.