If you’re wondering if we still need feminism, please complete this three-step process:
1. Consider the continuing blatant sexism in a preponderance of Super Bowl commercials, as detailed by Salon’s Broadsheet.
2. Ponder the fact that apparently the show-stealing moment of Will Ferrell’s Broadway production You’re Welcome America. A Final Night with George W. Bush is when Condoleezza Rice (Pia Glenn) performs a lap dance for Ferrell’s former prez. Now, the actual show looks reasonably funny, if you’re in the mood to feel nostalgic for those glorious Ferrell-as-Bush years. But, unfortunately, this Condi-as-stripper bit just proves that while we’re moving on past the Bush era, we haven’t left behind the time-honored tradition of putting female politicians in their place by pornifying them: Does a Will Ferrell show really have to stoop to Nailin’ Paylin depths?
3. Now that you’re all riled up (I hope), soothe yourself with The New York Times‘ spot-on dissection of Gabrielle Anwar’s role on Burn Notice (pictured) asa perfect postfeminist idol: a woman who knows her job — and her guns– but still pines for the guy she can’t have. (Oh, how we relate –minus the guns, anyway.)
Now you tell us, PopWatchers: What’s on your ShePop radar this week?
The Go-Daddy commerical was disgusting and dumb. It made me feel uncomfortable watching it in a room w/male cousins, uncles, and my father. When the commercial ended, everyone debated what it was even for and the general consensus was that Go Daddy was some type of porn website. Definitely NOT a good commercial.
While the Super Bowl is allegedly a “family” event, it’s still primarily the last hurrah for manly-men to watch football. Or at least that’s what the advertisers think – it’s like they haven’t realized that A. some women actually like football, and B. said women don’t like being objectified while their children are watching. Granted, my two-year-old didn’t quite get the “subtleties” of the GoDaddy.com commercials, but the Super Bowl is simply an inappropriate place for those types of commercials. Air them during Manswers or any other equally lame, man-oriented Spike show.
I feel compelled to post “Sister Suffragette” from Mary Poppins:
someone please give gabrielle anwar a donut and a parasol
Well, let’s just be thankful that there were no .001 second flashes of nipple. THAT would have caused the downfall of society, remember?
I named the GoDaddy commercial “most likely to make intelligent women cringe” on my blog.
http://leastlikelytoblog.wordpress.com/2009/02/02/commercial-critiques-part-1-the-bad/ (I hope it’s okay to post that.)
I’m surprised that the Salon article didn’t mention the widely-lauded commercial (for Bridgestone, I think) that featured Mrs. Potato Head’s mouth falling off.
Anwar may be a “perfect postfeminist idol”, but she is severely underweight! Good to know the idea of feminine perfection still involves looking like a skeleton.
I don’t know anything about ‘Burn Notice’, but in the posted photo Anwar looks healthy and fit. She’s just not the current American ‘normal’ of overweight. We, as a country, have to stop accepting obesity as ‘normal’.
I’ve been trying to catch up with Burn Notice this past season and one of the things I enjoy seeing is that even though the female characters are ridiculously thin and unnaturally attractive (Fiona, Carla, the health care scammer), they are all past their mid-30′s. It’s kind of cool seeing women beyond the age of 21 kicking ass and being sex symbols on a regular basis. I’m not saying they’re the strongest feminist role models (because they aren’t), but it is a step in the right direction that the fact that they’re “older”, by Hollywood standards, isn’t an issue.
Tim, if you want to see how emaciated Anwar is, go to USA’s website and watch the promo for Thursday’s episode. They should have put her in a one-piece to wide those ribs.
usanetwork.com/series/burnnotice/
That should read, “to hide her ribs.”
The Go-Daddy commercials were part 862 in the continuing saga of internet company blowing its entire ad budget showing as many boobies as possible during the Super Bowl. It’s the idea that any publicity is good publicity, even if it’s negative – heck, PETA didn’t even need to *air* its Super Bowl ads (vegetarians with boobies) to get publicity! Frankly, I think the Super Bowl folks should focus on the scatological – everyone thinks poop is funny. My husband and I only laughed out loud at the Monster.com moose commercial.
Forgive me for even mentioning her name, but…it’s Palin, not Paylin.
And re: Gabrielle Anwar, I’m a little miffed that the discussion about her character in ‘Burn Notice’ has already degenerated into a fat vs. thin argument here. Jennifer’s comment (and the NY Times article) are about her interesting, multi-faceted character on the show, not whether she needs a sandwich, and the discussion here about her appearance just plays into the current obsession with actresses’ bodies. Get over yourselves already.
Jennie, Palin’s name is not a bad word that’s going to make EW delete your comment. Why should we need to forgive you for mentioning it? You may not agree with her politics, but it’s not like her name is a curse word. Sheesh, am I cranky today.
I thought the GoDaddy commercials were dum to be honest. I don’t like the line being blurred between female athletes as sex objects because I’d rather watch them for their athleticism. Porn is there for if I want to see a chick do tittilating stuff. Why would I give a damn if Danica Patrick is being shown in a shower from the neck up. She’s broken some boundaries for women in sports, in my opinion, but it’s like she also is trying to set them back a few steps with this stuff because the bottom line is that guys respect her less after years of living off of her image. She’s kind of becoming another Anna Kournikova if you ask me because from what i remember she’s only won one noteworthy race. She bores me to be honest. I’d be more intrigued by her if she was crushing guys in the races and taking them done often.