Offender: Dr Pepper Snapple Group

Media Outlet: Aired on television stations nationwide beginning 10/10/2011

The Offense: After about 20 seconds of macho men driving around the jungle, killing snakes and spilling soda, this new TV commercial states explicitly: "Dr Pepper Ten. It's Not for Women." Dr Pepper also launched a Facebook page for men only. When someone with a female-identified Facebook profile tries to enter the page, the following message appears: "Sorry Ladies, Dr Pepper Ten Isn't for Women."

NOW's Analysis: The ad perpetuates stereotypical gender roles, where men are the action heroes of the world, forever looking for adventure, while women are submissive, ornamental or out of the picture altogether, as in this case. Taking place inside a mock blow-'em-up movie, the commercial includes lines like, "Hey ladies, enjoying the film? Of course not! Because this is our movie," and "So you can keep the romantic comedies and lady drinks. We're good." -- driving home the message that women have no interest in action (really?) and men steer clear of anything associated with the ladies.

The new drink has "ten manly calories," as opposed to Diet Dr Pepper, which has zero -- in other words, zero calories is too prissy for men, but 10 calories are too many for women. After all, women are supposed to drink diet soda to look thinner, while men will want to use Dr Pepper 10 as fuel for their manly activities. Is the ad poking fun at these stereotypes? Perhaps. But it seems like the makers of Dr Pepper want it both ways -- to appear to be laughing at misogynistic men while appealing to them at the same time.

For example, I had to use a man's Facebook page to sneak onto the Dr Pepper Ten Facebook page, where I found even more sexist nonsense. Videos show men shooting things, playing sports, etc., and there's a shooting gallery, where men can fire away at "girly" stuff, such as pink bows, red lipstick and sunflowers. Finally, you can take a quiz, testing your knowledge of sports, cars and movies. (I got a seven out of 10, while the man who helped me access the page got eight out of 10 -- so I guess I am pretty manly!) Women can and do know about sports and cars, but that flies in the face of our society's carefully constructed gender roles. Still, is it really necessary to portray women as forever linked with pink bows and lipstick? Haven't these outdated stereotypes grown old and terribly clichéd by now?

The Dr Pepper Ten commercial and Facebook page suggest that men continue to dominate the advertising industry. Apparently, not much has changed since the days of "Mad Men." In fact, this chauvinist viewpoint is reinforced in almost of all aspects of life -- from schooling to the corporate world. Women should not be left on the sidelines of life; we should be portrayed as the adventurers we really are. Dr Pepper really missed the mark this time.

Take Action: Contact Dr Pepper to tell them what you think, and sign the petition on change.org.

By Anita Lederer, Field Organizer

National Organization for Women, October 19, 2011

More offenders in : Advertising, Television, Sexist Piggery, Media Hall of Shame

Rank this item with our Misogyny Meter: Currently 2.95/5 1 2 3 4 5 i

Spread the word:

Offender: Super Bowl Ads

Media Outlet: FOX, 2/6/11

The Offense: The usual parade of sexist commercials, including objectified women, buffoonish men and cartoonish violence.

NOW's Analysis: Thanks to everybody who sent in suggestions for good and bad ads from this year's Super Bowl. First, the good news. A decent number of funny, non-offensive ads popped up this year.

Here are the ones you (and NOW) liked best:
- Bridgestone: Reply all email
- Budweiser: Singing in wild west saloon
- CarMax: Kid in a candy store, etc
- Chevrolet: Truck helps save Tommy
- Doritos: Grandpa comes back to life
- Kia: Epic forces battle for car
- Volkswagen: Young Darth Vader and beetle running through jungle

We have to note that even the "good" ads feature far more men than women, and the genders are often split into stereotyped roles. But that's nothing compared to the bad ads, and there were a bunch of them this year.

Here's what made yours and our worst list:
- Cars.com: Apparently even talking cars like to objectify the lone female car in their group
- Chevrolet: First the car company features two male narrators who talk about how "hot" the woman in their commercial should be (she likes to drive fast and she's a sweet schoolteacher, get it?), then they build another ad around the groundbreaking notion that old people don't hear very well
- GoDaddy.com: Dwelling at the bottom of the barrel as always, this advertiser promises female nudity online and pokes fun at the unsexiness of 77-year-old cosmetic surgery enthusiast Joan Rivers in two typically sleazy ads
- Groupon: An ad that appears to be a moving plea to help those struggling in Tibet segues into a cynical pitch to save you money on dinner out
- HomeAway.com: Ok, so the "test baby" that hits the wall face-first is not real, but it still makes you wonder why someone thought this was funny
- Mini Cooper: A male contestant plays "Cram it in the Boot" -- which we're pretty sure is a tacky allusion to a sexual act
- Pepsi Max: The soda company's "first date" ad relies on the supposed differences in how women and men think about each other, but the "love hurts" one is the real offender -- it manages to promote negative stereotypes of both women (angry, no-fun shrews) and men (hapless, junk food eaters) and it ends with an innocent woman getting hit in the head with a soda and falling on the ground while the couple at fault runs away
- Skechers: Kim Kardashian shows off her body in an ad filled with sexual double entendres
- Snickers: Roseanne Barr is the women who gets knocked to the ground this time, and we're supposed to be tickled because she's just so whiny
- Stella Artois: Could this be the stupidest ad of the night? Women swoon (and cry!) over a torchy male singer who, in fact, is singing to the beer he loves
- Teleflora: In just a few simple words, this ad may have entered the pantheon of bad ads -- Faith Hill, who surely has something better to do than this ad, encourages a youngish man to "write what's in his heart" on the card that accompanies the flowers he's sending to his girlfriend, so he says "Dear Kim, Your rack is unreal" -- ugh

So, what have we learned from the Super Bowl ads? Same old, same old: Being sexy is job one for women. Men get really excited over beer, junk food and sexy women. Hot women are often not too bright. Women who don't fit the "hot" ideal are usually annoying, emasculating or the loving mother in the background. Oh, and people getting hit and falling down is hilarious!

And the number one lesson? Advertising agencies employ mostly 13-year-old boys in their creative departments.

Take Action: You can write to any one of these advertisers and give them a piece of your mind. We recommend Pepsi or Teleflora.

Lisa Bennett, NOW Communications Director, February 7, 2011

More offenders in : Advertising, Objectification of Women, Television, Sexist Piggery, Ageism, Media Hall of Shame

Rank this item with our Misogyny Meter: Currently 1.94/5 1 2 3 4 5 i

Spread the word:

Offender: Marc Ecko Enterprises

Media Outlet: GQ magazine's Oct 2010 issue and other publications; Marc Ecko Muse website

The Offense: Marc Ecko's "Cut and Sew" clothing line for men is promoted through the use of celebrity Lindsay Lohan, seen in provocative sketches and online fantasy scenarios.

NOW's Analysis: The print advertisement catches your attention with a realistic looking drawing of Lindsay Lohan pulling off her top while a man in a suit sits behind her holding a large bolt cutter tool. The purpose of the ad is to get you to go to the website, where you are greeted by another exploitative image of Lohan, this time wearing a ski mask and sitting on a stool with her legs spread open.

The basic concept of the website is that the male visitor should imagine himself in various scenarios where Lindsay Lohan serves as his "muse." These fantasy situations involve Lohan cutting off parts of her clothing, rolling around on a bed while "you" take pictures of her, and so on. (The actual clothing line is immaterial to these situations.)

Instructions on the website allow you to print out a "hologram glyph image" of Lohan that will "come to life" when a webcam is pointed at it. You are encouraged to "interact" with the image and record it for playback and sharing on the web. The site also includes behind the scenes video of the shooting of Lohan's "muse" images.

To say that this voyeuristic website is creepy is an understatement. This campaign is a striking example of what it means to sexually exploit, objectify and commodify women. That it incorporates the identity of a troubled young woman celebrity makes it even more sad.

Take Action: Contact Marc Ecko Enterprises and tell them what you think of the "Lindsay Lohan Muse" promotional campaign.

Lisa Bennett, NOW Communications Director, October 20, 2010

More offenders in : Advertising, Objectification of Women, Print Publications, Internet

Rank this item with our Misogyny Meter: Currently 2.41/5 1 2 3 4 5 i

Spread the word: