February 22, 2002

by Lisa Bennett, Communications Director

The Good

"Stupid White Men" by Michael Moore (published by Regan Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers)

Michael Moore — director of the movie "Roger & Me," creator of the TV show "The Awful Truth" and author of "Downsize This" — has written a new book available at bookstores and online now. We almost didn't get the chance to read "Stupid White Men ... and Other Sorry Excuses for the State of the Nation" when publisher HarperCollins balked at releasing it in the post-Sept. 11 environment.

You see, "Stupid White Men" has some strong stuff to say about George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and the contested election that put them in office. The publishers initially wanted Moore to re-write large chunks of the book, toning down his criticism of Bush. Moore refused, word got out that his book might be "banned," and the next thing you know a group of librarians wrote to HarperCollins in support of releasing the book uncensored. The publisher finally conceded and the book hit the shelves "as is" on Feb. 19.

There's a reason the book is currently number one on Amazon.com. In addition to being extremely funny, Moore is one of the few people out there who are loudly critical of the Bush administration. "Stupid White Men" talks about the rich getting richer and the corporatization of the U.S. It even brings up Enron, in sections written long before the scandal broke.

One chapter in particular should warm the hearts of feminists. "The End of Men" details the havoc that men have wreaked on women, government and the planet. Moore bravely tells it like it is where domestic violence is concerned and he even encourages men to get active in helping end the wage gap between women and men!

Ask your local bookstore to contact HarperCollins or Moore himself and invite him to visit your town on his book tour. And go buy "Stupid White Men" — preferably at an independent bookseller. Books by right-wing blowhards are selling; let's show the publishing world that there is a market for smart, funny progressive books, too.

The Bad and The Ugly

We combined these two this time because there are multiple offenders here ...

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue and its Advertisers (Published by AOL Time Warner; produced by Diane Smith; supported by the ad revenue of numerous corporations)

Is it just me or is this spring's annual Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue more disturbing than ever? The magazine arrived in my mailbox yesterday (yes, I subscribe to SI), and I almost didn't open it because I knew exactly what would be inside. Lots of leggy, busty supermodels in beside-the-point teeny bikinis. But I'm glad I did, because this year's issue serves as a catalog of sexism, objectification and the ways women's bodies are sold and traded like products or currency.

No offense to 15-year-old boys, but it looks like a team of them put this magazine together, from the photos to the features, right down to the advertising. The breakdown of the wall between editorial content and advertising is on full display here. Calling women in bathing suits "editorial content" is a stretch to begin with, but now the editors of the magazine and the companies advertising within it are clearly working hand in hand.

First, the Ads

The vast majority of the ads have been designed to flow seamlessly with "content" pictures of stripped-down women and the attitude that accompanies looking at them. These advertisements appear to be conjured by some very insecure men, the kind who worry that "size does matter," as the Captain Morgan rum ad says.

I could go on forever, but some of the worst offenders are the Miller Brewing Company, The Boston Beer Company (maker of Sam Adams), Maker's Mark Distillery, DaimlerChrysler and Audiovox Corporation. In a two-page Miller Genuine Draft ad, for example, the left page has a photo of a beer bottle with its label pulled off. Below the bottle it says "Your Turn" and on the facing page is a woman in a bikini, who, presumably, the viewer is being encouraged to undress. The model even has the stereotypical look of a stripper. The Sam Adams ad features an aerial shot of two beer bottles positioned to look like breasts above text shaped like a woman's body, with the caption "Man's other true love." Maker's Mark Whisky features this made-up quote: "Your bourbon has a great body and fine character. I wish the same could be said for my girlfriend."

Alcohol, and its ever-present phallic bottles, may be the most popular product using women and sex as sales tools, but it's surely not the only one. To sell its new convertible, Dodge uses a photo of a rich, old man marrying a blonde, "golddigger"-type spilling out of the top of her wedding gown. And Audiovox (maker of Pocket PC and other electronic equipment) simply points to a woman's pierced belly button above her low-slung jeans and says "press to play."

Now, the Publishers

But let's not forget AOL Time Warner, publisher of Sport Illustrated and the creator of the forum for these types of ads. This year's swimsuit issue theme is Latin America. Trite images abound of a trip through Spanish Harlem featuring a game of dominoes, a Chihuahua, stick ball, red flowers in the models' hair and a pair of maracas.

One article recounts the boxing lesson a professional fighter gave to supermodel Molly Sims, in exchange for her tips on crash dieting. The article manages to make Sims sound like the silliest woman on the planet, with the main point of the article apparently being the photos of her wearing a white tank top and skimpy shorts. All this falls under the highly insensitive "A Punch Judy Show" headline, which again makes you wonder what the writers were really thinking.

The most offensive layout in the entire magazine must be the last one, depicting models wearing bathing suits made of bizarre materials, like cactus (ouch!). One model wears a bathing suit made of Latin paper money, another model is decorated in beer bottle caps, while a third wears a bikini fashioned out of cigar bands. Others wear coffee beans, chili peppers, and silver and jade. This spread drives home the message coursing through the rest of the issue: Women's bodies are nothing more than a commodity to be bought and sold, at least according to a large part of the media and corporate worlds.

Please send a letter to AOL Time Warner and Sports Illustrated and tell them that the Swimsuit Issue promotes the harmful and dehumanizing concept that women are a product for male consumption.

Click here to speak your mind by writing a letter to anyone in the media. And if have your own media praises and gripes — about TV, movies, radio, magazines, newspapers or the web — send them to communications@now.org and you just might find your suggestions and thoughts in future columns.

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