<The Gender ADs Project>

Viewer Comments

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<Background: I have received many comments from educators, students and others regarding the Gender Ads Project. Public commentary on analyses of ads is itself educational and, thus, I have decided to include comments that I receive on this page; it is a guestbook of sorts. I have included the comments and any geographical information but I have removed all names and affiliations to preserve privacy. I have not corrected any grammar or spelling—these are the raw comments>

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▪ 4/30/05; location unknown

Hey, I just read your website, and I think it's pretty interesting. But i have a question:

If people were limited in the amount of wealth they can aquire (your example was $1 Million) then wouldn't that give industrialists in other nations, (like the Rothschilds) or political parties of other nations (like The Communist Party of China) the power to dominate us in the marketplace due to their centralization of wealth? What i mean, basically, is having our wealth spread more evenely (which I think it should be) dangerous to us as a whole now that we are a global economy "competing" with conglomerate corporations all over the world? Would our de-centralization of wealth make us more vulnerable in the world marketplace?

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▪ 10/14/04; location unknown

My name is [omitted] and I am a Gerontologist. I am currently embarking on a project... Part of the focus of this project is the portrayal of American elders in the media, in particular, in advertising. Your site has provided me with some great resources and examples. However, I am really in need of T.V. advertisements. Are you aware of any film archives of T.V. commercials? There are a few I would love to get my hands on, namely a recent Capri Sun ad featuring a dysfunctional relationship between a youth and an elder which is featured on the Children's network, Nickelodeon. These ads are shaping the views of elders among our children. We are beginning to see the results. The Gerontology program in which I teach is being cut. Not because of budget cuts, but because of a lack of interest from the youth in working with and assisting our elders. Incidentally, our program is the largest in California. A sign of things to come. Baby boomers beware! I would appreciate any and all feedback, in particular, regarding any archives you know of.

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▪ 5/27/05; Madison, Wisconsin

To whom it may concern,
I need your permission to mention your website and cite your work in my essay The Dehumanization in the Developed Societies.
Respectfully, [omitted]

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▪ 3/30/05; location unknown

Hi I would like to know if you have this available in print form for
distribution to students? [omitted]

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▪ 2/24/05; location unknown

Sick world we live in sometimes isn't it! I wonder if you could put a bit of an explanation with the ad's though some of them are just pictures no idea what the company is trying to sell or what the purpose of the objectification was! Also are you interested in viewers sending in ads? I found an American Express Ad that just blew me away several years ago and still have it with a Olympic swimmer being eaten by a shark if you want it I'll gladly email it to you!

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▪ 10/3/04; Canada

hi there.
just a quick note to thank you for putting together this fabulous web resource. i use it frequently to find teaching material and point students there to do research. one thing that would be useful is to have a reference for the ad ie. date and magazine, given the importance of context in advertising. also i tell my students to look at the whole ad, image and text together. thanks again, sincerely. [omitted]

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▪ 1/12/05; location unknown

I did a search on "male gaze" today because I have heard the term a lot recently and wanted to understand what it meant, and ran accross your website. Even though I am a woman, I am more interested in blatant anti-male sexism, which I see very often, esp. in my [omitted] Church among the "feminists". It has gotten to the point where in many circles you can make any rash negative generalization about men, and you can make any rash positive generalization about women no matter how ridiculous, and everyone is afraid to call you on it. But people would freak out if you did the opposite.

Basically a lot of women are gender snobs and have an irrationally positive view of women. I find the absurdly idealized stereotype of the "good woman" as everywoman very disturbing, especially with regard to the eco-crisis. I always thought feminism was supposed to be about breaking down stereotypes, but nowadays it seems to rely on them and promote not equality but actual gender superiority. Once there was a service at our church on "woman-defined theologies," which might have been more accurately titled "women are peaceful, nurturing, loving, deep, kind and eco-conscious, while men are generally evil and cause all the problems in the world."

Somehow everybody forgot that overconsumption and overpopulation are the root causes of the eco-crisis, and that if the sexes are not equal in contributing to these, women might even be more resonsible than men. Who tends to have more baby-lust? Who buys more stuff, including plenty of thoroughly useless and wasteful stuff? But at this service it was conveniently all men's fault, and the earth was given a gender (female, natch), as if all women grew their own vegetables and rode bicycles while all the men had minivans and drove all over town and were obsessed with their personal comfort and bought frozen convenience foods.

I think TV advertising and TV shows most often show the woman as the totally competent one--the one who has it all together, while the man is almost always the selfish shortsighted moron who messes everything up. If anything, TV messages (not counting music videos) more often insult men--they are stupid, lazy, don't parent well, smell bad, etc. and need a woman (or a whole team of gay guys) to run things for them and help them be decent. Otherwise they are generally clueless, classless and unhygienic. Because women have more control over more money than men nowadays and make the bulk of purchasing decisions, advertising kisses up to them. The only time advertising will kiss up to men is when it's a man's product or if they are trying to increase market share among men--for example the Amstel ad you show, which I don't even find offensive.

I guess I am not very attracted to guys who are "in touch with their feminine side." In fact I find them annoying. I can see why an ordinary, decent, but naturally masculine guy wouldn't want to be perceived as too feminine, just as I would not want to be perceived as very masculine--it's not "me". I want to be perceived as pretty physically and emotionally strong, somewhat stoic and practical, but very womanly and not at all masculine or butch. If an ad tries to appeal to my sense of my own femininity, which many ads do, is that wrong? So what is wrong with appealing to a man's sense of his own masculinity? Guys who are confident and secure and relaxed in their own masculinity are (to me) the most fun to be around.

Most guys who are more or less traditionally masculine love women--they are not a danger or a problem simply because they are masculine and want to see themselves and come off to others that way. Basically they want to be THEMSELVES, and I don't see any harm here. Obviously the beer company wants to increase the market share among men for light beer, so they want to convince the average guy he can still be manly even if he is watching his weight and doesn't want to get plastered and so drinks a light beer. So what? Also I don't think anything taken out of Hustler reflects the average man's thinking. I don't know what Hustler's circulation is but I don't think it's very high, and I think most the men I know would find it somewhat offensive. I think even the more mainstream porn magazines don't even represent the "thinking" of most men, though a lot of men LOVE the pictures though oddly it only seems to feature one type of body, whereas real men seem to like variety and to vary individually so much in what type they prefer. Fortunately now the "small-breast-man" has
internet porn.

As far as I can tell virtually all straight men do love looking at women's bodies (and virtually all gay men look at other men the same way) and I don't think you're ever going to change that or stop advertisers from using women's bodies to sell stuff. A lot of women (and gay men) like to show off their bodies too--aren't they also to blame for the male gaze?

The male gaze might be the only thing keeping our country from becoming even fatter and lazier and less healthy than it is, since that is why a lot of gay men and straight women keep themselves in decent shape--to attract the male gaze to themselves. There was once a hilarious article in the Onion entitled "Area Man Has Naked Lady Fetish," where a guy lost his boy scout leader position because of his "perversion"--of course it's only funny because most guys have a "naked lady fetish". In fact [........omitted.........]

As far as sexual harrassment in the workplace goes, I guess it happens once in a while but in my working experience I have seen it go both ways. I saw a woman use the rules to get back at someone who wasn't interested in her, I saw a woman obsessively pursue a man (who was gay and not interested) constantly sending him flowers and messages, and I was once asked if I wanted to have sex on the back stairwell, to which I simply said "no thanks" and that was the end of it. I think if you're so immature you can't handle the occasional pass or sex joke (some of them hilarious) without making a Federal case out of it you probably should not be out on your own in the big scary world.

The vast majority of guys are very decent (though desperately horny) and certainly don't want anybody who doesn't want them back. You can't really blame them for trying or for letting off a little steam once in a while. Usually "guys being guys" is kind of fun to be around--most of them know where to draw the line. I think the new rules probably have every guy walking on eggshells afraid to say anything that might be misconstrued, and I think the workplace is probably not nearly as enjoyable as it used to be. A lot of the advertising you show is actually directed a women--most of the scantily clad women you see are in women's magazines which guys don't even read. So it is really advertisers trying to convince women that they will be sexy and attract men if they buy X. So if women are buying into that (and advertisers wouldn't spend the money on advertising if they didn't) maybe the objectification of women in advertising is women's own fault.

Consumers drive what happens in the marketplace, so you have to look at who consumes what. Consumers drive most of our unsustainable economy, and women are the majority consumers. Men consume way more porn, but women consume way more advertising and way more of almost everything else. It is disgusting to see jokes about rape--real rape is not really funny, is it? Many people do have rape fantasies, though, and I think this is again another very primitive thing that won't change. But I think it is totally irresponsible to fail to differentiate between non-consensual sex and consensual enactment of a fantasy.

Also it is not unheard of for women to call sex they regretted afterwards "rape," or for parents of girls to press charges under statutory rape laws that put a guy in jail for a decade for basically having a girlfriend. I think rape has to be very carefully defined for the safety and protection of both sexes, but that forcible rape should never be the excuse for a joke--THAT is misogynistic and disgusting.

But I don't think most men are misogynistic any more than most women are misandronistic, if that's a word. There are woman-haters and man-haters, and I think in most cases they have psychological problems and often it seems to me that woman-haters had terrible or absent mothers, while man-haters had terrible or absent fathers.

Most of people's behavior comes down to hardwired biology and parental training--the fact that many
parents simply abandon this to other people or are not around much for their kids doesn't bode well for
society as a whole, because then TV and advertising ARE much more powerful.

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▪ 3/15/05; Durham, United Kingdom

Hi, I don’t have any images to send, but I wanted to write to you and thank you for your web page and the images; I’m a lecturer at [omitted] in the UK and I’m currently doing Level 1 lectures on genders and geographies and local masculinities and femininities. I have to say that I’ve found the stuff on your site an invaluable teaching aid to the ideas I’ve tried to put across about how genders, how masculinity is constructed.

I have to shamelessly admit that I’ve used a number of your images in my lectures (I always give the URL and reference them) and I would dearly like to reciprocate in some way, given how valuable what you’ve done has been to me. I’d very much like to know more about what you do and to contribute in some way, if I can.

Thank you very much indeed, [omitted]

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▪ 10/30/04; Australia

Hi

Just wondering if you could help me out by letting me know in which context you found both of your images 12(fights dirty), and image 32(diamonds). Whether it be a journal, amgazine etc..and if so the title and year of publication?

Please helP!
Ashley

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▪ 10/30/04; location unknown

Dear Sir,  I came across your very interesting website genderads.com, and I saw one of the ads for bud light (see attachment), in the gay men section, but I cannot understand why this is a gay ad. Could you help? Thank you very much in advance. [omitted]

PS/ I am currently writing my dissertation on advertising polysemy with the example of homosexual and heterosexual understandings of advertising, hence my interest.

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▪ 11/18/04; Harvard University

Hi, your site is a wonderful resource, but I'd like to point out to you that in the section called "Progressive Ads," you have included one that is offensive to women. http://www.ltcconline.net/lukas/gender/progressive/pics/progressive13.jpg
Image 13, an ad for the environment, says "man is," "his war," and "himself," when it's obviously referring to man and woman, human kind in general. Please make a correction there. How shall I, as a woman, feel when I hear exhortations to save nature made to the male gender, while I live on earth too? Thank you. [omitted]

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▪ 3/6/05; location unknown

Hi,

My name is Debbie. I am a unversity student currently taking a introductury woman study course. After some research I found you web site very interesting and useful for my term paper. I believe you have a very indepth understanding about the topic. I am just wondering if you can you suggest some reading material for my topic.(Violence Against Woman in Advetising) or some leads about this topic? This is my very first class about in woman study and I have not been very successful in finding reading material about my topic. I am really looking forward to hear from you. Thank you! Best Regards, Debbie

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▪ 5/10/05; University of California, Davis

Hello,

First of all, thank you so much for creating and maintaining Gender Ads. I use a lot of images in my gender education work, and I use your site all the time and refer others to it as well. It is a great resource! I am currently putting together a presentation on the influence of pornography on mainstream media images of women. I noticed a very interesting image in the "Dual" objectification section of your site. It portrays a nude man and a woman wearing white boots & gloves. It seems to be from Flaunt Magazine. I am wondering if you could tell me what the text says that is covering the woman's breasts and the man's buttocks? I have been unable to find a clearer version of this image, and our campus library unfortunately does not carry Flaunt Magazine. I'm giving the presentation next week. I would greatly appreciate your help with this! Thank you!

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▪ 3/15/05; location unknown

Hey I just wanted to say that this site is amazing... very well done, informative and useful. Thanks for taking on this project and sharing it. Fantastic. Sincerly,  [omitted]

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▪ 3/15/05; location unknown

To whom it may concern,

Currently there is an ad running for AXE body spray that completely objectifies women, turning them into playthings just for men. You can view it at http://www.theaxeeffect.com/ad.html  Just a heads up! Sincerely Yours,[omitted]

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▪ 11/16/04; Seattle, Washington

Mrs. Luckas [sic] (I'm presuming that is your name);

Hello, my name is [omitted] and I am currently a student at Seattle University. For an psychology class I am writing a term paper on the social roles of women. I have found your website to be a wonderful resource, as with the various other persons quoted within your site. I would really like to use your website as a part of my paper; however, your website does not necessarily contain all the biographical data I need to complete a "good" bibliography. I think this would be extremely helpful if you posted this data on your website for future researchers as myself. But for now, if you could possibly email me back your name, title (what you would like your site to be called other than what is presented on website) and date in which the site was created or last maintained I would be very much so appreciative.

You're doing a wonderful job on exposing these roles of women to society, and maybe just someday people will understand what this categorization causes in the lives of women and others. I would like to commend you on your accomplishments. Thank You, [omitted]

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▪ 11/18/04; location unknown

I took a look through your website today. It was quite interesting, I thought, as an exercise in bias and shaping facts to fit your pre-conceived conclusion. In many occasions, you state factual comments and then say "just look at ad #9 and you will see it" as though that represents a fact. This is a precisely backwards manner in which to research. I also note that you offer no other explanations or reasons that disagree with yours. If your explanation is right, then others can be proven wrong. However, you never consider, except in dismissive arguments on your 'controversy' page (even the name of the page seeks to lessen the impact, because it implicitly assumes that you are right and these naysayers are controversial - yet another example of extreme bias). Take this one for example: Controversy #6 - By Implication of Addressing the Negativity of Ads, You are Suggesting that They Be Censored - Many people suggest that the analysis of ads will ultimately lead to a censored of them and the media.

Response: There is a major debate related to the media and the issue of censored that continues to inform our public culture. Indeed, in understanding pornography one has to be open to the many voices that argue against the censorship of pornography while at the same time focusing on the negative effects that pornography produces in us and our society. Personally, I believe that some of this debate has been miscast. In fact, as Sut Jhally suggests in Dreamworlds II, in a truly open society one would expect to be presented with multiple and diverse views about gender and sexuality in our popular culture. The truth is that our society presents only a limited view of these important social constructs. So in a sense we are already the victims of censorship and what we might encourage, if we desire a true free and equal society, is the presentation of a multiplicity of views on any subject.

You deliberately ignore evidence to push your agenda. Try this as an exercise - find 1000 ads that depict women in positions that you find acceptable. Then repeat your exact study using those ads. I bet you will find the exact opposite conclusions that you have found in this study. I bet you can find them, and, low and behold, reveal that there are other forms of expression in our society other than the one that you have narrowly put forth, but you instead dismiss the possibility and make a weak appeal to free speech. All you have done is shown that in a non-representative, non standard sample, ads selected by you showing women in a negative light show women in a negative light. If you want proof of your bias, re-read that last paragraph. If you were investigating rationally and drawing conclusions, then you should have no criteria to select ads showing women positively or negatively. You would simply select ads on a random basis, review those, and come to conclusions about society.

I would like to note that I do not wish to put forth a judgement on your conclusion. If I say that I disagree, you will dismiss my argument as misogynst rhetoric. If I agree, then you will say that I am confused and trapped by societies' control systems and that I am regurgitating, not thinking. Neither of these are true. What I saying is that your study is fundamently flawed, and as such, is just another piece of propaganda that forsakes rational thought to advance your own bias, and
in that regard, I find your work disturbing.

Regards, Chris

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▪ 11/20/04; [my response]

Chris:

Hey, lighten up and don't take yourself so seriously. If you're so disturbed by the site, I recommend some self-reflection and some meditative practices. Life is too short to be so angry. That's my personal advice given your aggressive e-mail. Are you a feminist? Just curious because the forward manner of your e-mail says a bit about your gender politics. But I could be wrong. Let me respond to your concerns. First, it's a website that attempts to persuade, and I think most would identify that. I teach and conduct research from a reflexive standpoint, and the politics that I express are examples of cultural critique. If you are serious about your notion that one cannot selectively target discourse and use it to construct arguments then perhaps you haven't approached the Frankfurt School, the BCCS or contemporary
works like Anthropology as Cultural Critique. Or, go back to Aristotle's Rhetoric and you will find an answer there. Chris, guess what?...we're all biased! Second, you seem to have a simplistic notion of research. I'm sure that you are aware that there are hundreds of approaches to conducting research. Interestingly, the studies of the sort that you seem to advocate--empirical, positivistic it seems--do reflect that negative imagery of women is more common than that of men. But, it's clear from my page that this is not an empirical study. Third, the site is independent, non-funded and directed at a specific audience. I do get emails like yours--angry and reactionary, and I wonder why people can't be more civil in the world and what personal issues such writers have. You can create your own website and post results of your own studies if you like. I get many more emails from students and other researchers who want to study gender and advertising. Some of the information on my page is shorthand because many of those who visit it are professional researchers in gender and advertising.  Scott

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▪ 11/21/04; [a response]

Hey Scott,
Thanks for the reply; I didn't expect one. I've never actually sent an email like this off to a website before and it's quite a specific reason that I did so in this case. In all honesty, the actual topic of feminism and gender equality is of almost no consequence to me. I've never considered myself as a feminist or a misogynist. I treat people based upon their ideas and abilities, so I have never had cause in my life to take issue on this topic. It's your form of presentation that riled me up.

You say that your website is meant to persuade. If it's meant to persuade, then it's opinion. Calling it a study makes it seem like you've done some kind of science, when really you haven't. So, your persuasion is based on, well maybe not an outright lie, but a trumped up exaggeration that really brings it closer to propaganda pushing your bias. Aristotle's biggest gift to the field of philosophy was not the idea of bias - saying people have a bias is common sense. Instead, it was how he decided to overcome biases that makes him great. His laws of logic provide an objective basis to analyze arguments and discussions so that bias is eliminated as much as possible. Blind bias is what makes wrong answers seem right, while logic is what reveals errors for what they are. Bias is not something to be embraced, it's something to be overcome.

People like the Frankfurt School are guilty of the same lapses - they started by saying "Marx was basically right, let's try to prove why". Instead of looking at the body of evidence and drawing their conclusion, they made up their conclusion and dedicated their thinking to trying to justify their leap of faith. If you start with your bias in hand, then you've already put your blinders on. Anything that disagrees with your bias is something to be exalted as proof. However, since you've started with your bias, you don't have any criteria on which to say your judgments are right or wrong. At best, you can show that some of the evidence supports your bias. Because of this, you have no tools with which you can make any judgment on the truthfulness of your bias! The only research of any value is that which examines the available evidence with a cold impersonal eye, and then draws whatever conclusion the evidence yields. This is the basis of the scientific method, through
which science has yielded more positive results for human kind than any other field of study. If you dismiss my view of research as simplistic, you are dismissing the scientific method, which is quite a bold step. Just because there are many forms of research doesn't mean that those forms are of value. There are infinitely many answers to 1 + 1, but
only one answer is right.

With regards to your point about making a difference in people's lives, I strongly disagree that that is what really matters. Far more destructive to society is the idea of bias before research, truth before proof, etc.. A company that pushes a product by objectifying a woman is almost completely inconsequential compared to possible negative
ramifications that this approach can have. If you are lucky and have good morals, then the "I'm right, now how do I prove it to others" approach can help people, such as what your foundation seems to do. However, having bad morals with that approach is downright scary. It's the same approach, for instance, that Hitler used. Through propaganda, he filled the German people with the horribly wrong bias that Hitler was right. When he said that Jews were bad, the people said "My bias says that Hitler is right, he doesn't need to prove it" rather than "Hitler says Jews are bad, but what objective evidence does he have?". Instead of revolting, they went along with it - we all know what happened. This kind of approach brought about the Crusades in the middle ages, the Spanish Inquisition, terrorism nowadays, and many other of the worst things in human history.

Please don't take that last bit out of context. I am in no way comparing the results of you and your work to what those monsters listed above have done. I am simply saying that your approach can be used by
anyone to push any agenda that they want, regardless of their various views. That, in my mind, is the single biggest problem humankind has ever and will ever face. You are using and attempting to justify that
approach. That is specifically what angered me, and that is why I reacted so strongly. It's also why I didn't take it lightly.
You should read Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, if you haven't already. It makes my points far better than I can.

Regards,  Chris

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▪ 2/5/05; location unknown

Dear Sir:
I am a 62 year old retired man, I stumbled upon your Web page while surfing the net. I am troubled by the whole direction of your "study". I looked at and studied all of the examples you have put into your project to this point. I read with interest the comments by you and those you referenced. I must admit that I found it all interesting. Unfortunately my interest was piqued as to why one would spend so much time on such a useless and entirely politically correct issue! I found some of the ads to be stupid, but even in their stupidity they were somewhat humorous. I wasn't offended by any of them. I was raised at a time when society believed that all was black and white, and from an early age onward I disagreed with that philosophy. Today, however, those born between 1946 and into the early '70s have gone completely 280 degrees with their belief system of the 1970's and '80s. Non-conformity, anti-establishmentism etc., etc., etc., ad nauseum. These folks are YOUR generation and YOU have turned rigidly conformist, and are the establishment and power brokers today. Everybody must think, see, and smell every nuance, every issue, every thought in conformity with your rigid, implacable, belief system or be silenced, humiliated and ridiculed into submission. I also reject the entire structure in which you and your generation believe, because it is wrong! It is dictatorial, and allows no room for disagreement. Now, that said, back to the ads. Those who "defaced" your posters, in my opinion, actually offered valid interpretation to your message. I see why too much federal monies are spent on supporting the universities and activist organizations and all of the current socially and politically correct programs. The money is wasted, and should be withdrawn and used for direct payment to those needing medical, and financial help. You are a PhD? You have nothing better to spend your time on? You don't really believe that the majority of our population puts any worth on any of these ads, do you? I, speaking for myself, ignore the garbage, laugh at the truly humorous printed ads, and electronic media commercials, and finally would ignore and not purchase a product advertised disparaging anybody for their religion, their race, their color, gender, or any other condition they may find themselves. We certainly don't need the kind of "Project" and censorship that you have wasted good Federal funds in constructing. I'm sure that you are a very intelligent person, I trust that deep down you are a good person, and you will accept my opinion as an honest view, though obviously different than yours. I also would remind you of the 18th century remark on free speech which goes "I may disagree with what you say sir, but I will defend to the death your right to say it!". NOT ONE article of the first 10 amendments, our Bill of Rights, must ever be modified added to or taken away. Thank you for allowing me to respond to your web page, take care sir, and be well. Robert [omitted]

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▪ 2/10/05; [my response]

Robert:

you offer an interesting commentary in your email. I do enjoy getting commentary on the site, and get a few emails a month (probably about 50% support/50% against the site). Just some points for clarification: there is no waste of federal money whatsoever, since the site is composed on my free time. We academics find ourselves spending a lot of our free time on causes that we find to be important. The site is intended as a resource for people interested in gender and advertising, mostly teachers and students, but anyone is welcome to look at the ads. I do believe that advertising effects people, to certain degrees, and this is another reason for the site. Not everyone is as strong as you are to be able to avoid their effects.

As far as censorship...I do not agree with censorship, but find that our culture censors us. The fact that we find so many ads of the sort that I have identified suggests to me that our popular culture limits our thought. I can see how you might interpret the page along politically correct lines, but, in fact, the argument is to open up our media to represent more diversity in our images. It would be good to see more people representative of different body types in ads--bigger people, people with disabilities, etc. This, I believe, is an argument against the censorship that our media produces.

I believe that free speech is very important, but I do not believe that we have any free speech in the post-9/11 era. I'm not sure what else to offer, other than the idea that people should have resources available to consider issues such as these.

scott

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▪ 2/13/05; [his response]

Dear Scott;
I want to thank you for replying to my email in reference to the Gender Ads. I am not accustomed to such a positive response, the usual responses range from patronizing to downright insulting. I'm afraid that the younger generation were not taught respect for other people regardless of their stature in life. I was raised at a time when "children were to be seen, and not heard" when adults were in conversation. Leaving the room was a request generally given with "The Look". Surrendering one's seat to a senior when one of that generation entered the room, was a given, and absolute respect when talked to be adults was an unwritten commandment! Regardless of the temper of the times, I think that those basics were not too much to demand of children. I will reiterate my comment as to whom the people are that are now our leaders. The "flower children", the anti-war generation who refused conformity and screamed "Free Speech" the loudest! It is these selfsame individuals that today hold political power, are the business tycoons of the last 30 years and now moving into the 21st century, and also control the Universities in the country. I find these people, in general, to be the ones who limit our rights to free speech. I accuse the activists and their minions of being "Storm Troopers" of the current time. They being the ones who rip banners out of the hands of those that disagree with them at rallies, or followers of Mr. Churchill at the University of Colorado. I actually fear for this great gift, the experiment with a Representative Republic, from God and our founding fathers. I, sadly, have come to the decision that it is those selfsame "Young of the 1960s" that are the ones who are destroying this Great Republic. Sir, I have been in many countries in my lifetime so far. I
cannot find one that is worth the effort of packing a bag to go to. If free speech is dead here, they why do so many people flee their native countries in greater numbers today than in any period in our history? Why? If it is obvious to you and your fellow academicians and your students that free speech is dead, then why are there no major demonstrations? My God, once the fire was lit during the Anti-Vietnam War era, there would be demonstrations in a flash, as also would happen during the fight for Civil Rights for our Black brothers and sisters! Martin Luther King died not just for civil rights for his fellow blacks, but for all Americans, and he stated that many times. I don't know if you remember the Comic strip "Pogo", it took place in the bayous of the south. The citizenry were the animals of the swamp, and a sort of living conscience of the little town was a possum named "Pogo". During a time of strife in the swamp, and much trouble among the residents, there was a rally. Pogo made his famous comment about the enemies that were being discussed, his words were, "I has seen the enemy and they is US!". Well too have seen the enemy of our Republic, and they are us. Nikita Khrushchev a late premier of the USSR on a visit to the U.S. in 1961 gave a speech in which he stated, "You Americans have nothing to fear from Russia. Russia will NEVER fire a missile or a gun at the United States to your destruction. No, your destruction will come from within your own country. Your own so-called FREEDOMS will destroy you because you Americans don't understand what you have." Well, enough of my blather, I may have messed up Mr. Khrushchev's comment especially the last sentence, but that is basically what he said. I'm going to have to look that up again, at my age the memory is kind of shaky. Take care, be well, and good luck in all of your endeavors including those that I may disagree with.

Robert [omitted]

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▪ 4/18/05; location unknown

Hi Scott,
Thank You so much for getting back to me, if you could find it that would be great. I really appreciat your time and the site.
Thanks,[omitted]

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▪ 3/16/05; United Kingdom

Scott,

Thanks very much! I used some of your images in my lecture yesterday and they helped turn what I think would have been a 'wobbly' lecture in an area I'm not overly expert in, into something that the students at the end came and thanked me for... a gratifying experience. Regards, Jon

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▪ 5/20/05; University of California, Davis

Scott,
Thank you so much for sending that information! I really appreciated being able to use the image in my presentation. Also, thank you for recommending Stoltenberg's book. I will look into it. I have read Robert Jensen's writings on pornography and have found them really helpful. (Jensen's writings on the subject can be found at: http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/%7Erjensen/freelance/genderarticles.htm).


The only things I could think of that would improve my experience with your site are: 1) having sources for each image and 2) having a navigation option at the bottom of each page, so when you're viewing a picture, you can click "next image" or "previous image" instead of returning to the main topic page. Other than that, the content is really helpful, and I'm always happy to read the new comments & ideas you post along with the images. Thank you again for your help!

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▪ 11/20/04; Surrey Institute of Art & Design

Dear Scott,
thanks for your reply. I'd be extremely grateful for any help you could give me. I teach at the Surrey Institute of Art & Design. Out of curiosity, where do you teach? It seems like we're working in the same field. Our research interests are possibly also similar. I would welcome very much the opportunity to talk to you. Let me know what you think.

Many thanks in advance for any help on the referencing front.
[omitted]

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▪ 1/10/05; Ireland

Hi Scott,
I just thought I would write as I have been impressed by your website, http://www.genderads.com/. If you were at all interested in contributing something to Sigla magazine please do get in touch.

Thanks!
[omitted]

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▪ 3/4/05; Iowa State University

Scott,
As I have been putting together web materials this year (behind the Webct barrier so not available through a google search like yours) I realize how much work goes into these without much reward. Does your administration recognize web work as scholarship? Just curious.

It occurs to me that sociologists putting together web materials -- even pedagogically oriented like your site -- should establish some sort of peer review system. Would it benefit you to have a formal peer "review" and appreciation of your site -- even a paragraph or two long? I'd consider doing it. Another excellent site (on the power elite in America) that has given me many ideas for what might be possible: www.theyrule.net   Best, [omitted]
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▪ 11/16/04; location unknown

Hello,
I am writing this e-mail in regards to a research project that I am currently working on for my English class on the negative female view of women in advertisements. I am writing this because I would like to add your website to my Works Cited page and need certain information that I could not find on your website regarding copyright information and other such information required for a bibliography. I quite enjoyed your website and am glad that there are people out there who look into this type of media and actually analyzing their content. Please respond back via e-mail. Thank you.
[omitted]

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▪ 12/1/04; SUNY Cobleskill

Hi my name is [omitted]. I am currently attending SUNY Cobleskill in Cobleskill, NY. I am enrolled in a Mass Media class, where my final project is on women and the things they do to look like the models in magazines, and how it affects the women's mind. I am working with my friend and we are going to be putting together a colage to show that women go crazy to get plastic surgery, have eating disorders ect... to look like something artificial and unnatural and how half the time they are trying to look like something that's not even realistic. I was wondering if you would be able to give us some insight to this issue and maybe have a discussion with us. Or if you have a better idea on how to present this topic to our class.
Thank you so much for you time. sincerely, [omitted]

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▪ 10/9/04; United Kingdom

I'm finding it quite difficult to reference to some of the books you list in your website. In particular, I don't seem to find any of the books you quote from Sut Jhally, would it be possible for you to send me the full details? I would like to take this opportunity to tell you how interesting and useful your website is! I teach advertising in a University in England and I often refer my students to your website. Thank you so much for setting it up!
[omitted]

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▪ 10/19/04; New York University

Thanx.
I'm a grad student at NYU's school of social work and I am becoming increasingly disappointed with the students attending with me. Today a classmate who teaches marriage skills (you may have heard about these marriage courses being funded by Pres.Bush's marriage initiative) stated in a class discussion that a significant number of relationships are negatively effected because women nag at their male partners. I couldn't believe my ears!

Well, to tell the truth I had my doubts abt. this women from the moment she said she taught these courses, but the fact that I was the only person in a room full of people to state that the use of the term nagging/nag was offensive and hadnegative connotations floored me. Who are these conservative people who I sit next to that profess their love of social work? Social work is about social justice and social activism. Do you have to be a radical feminist to be offended by the term nag????? Forgive me for ranting but I am so frustrated and when I did a search on the net and your page came up I couldn't resist contacting you.

Again, Thanx.
[omitted]

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▪ 2/1/05; location unknown

to whom it may concern,

You are correct about those Playboy cartoons, they are repulsive, and rape is no laughing matter. But my criticism towards your site is that sexuality is more complex than some power structure system and I don't think female heterosexuality or sexual desires are completely constructed.

There are women I have communicated on the net who have expressed explicit sexual fantasies. It might not be the thing your into but everyone is different in thier own kind of way.

Tim

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▪ 11/5/04; location unknown

Hi

Your site is very well done - you should include links to other sites (mediawatch etc.) and also try to have them link to you. One outrageous ad you might want to include in your commercials section is the Pepsi one that ends with Bob Dole drooling over Britney Spears (I found some stills at:

http://www.schnittberichte.com/index.php?ID=1178

The "down boy!" to the dog is an obvious reference to his role as aspokesman for Pfizer's Viagra. Yuchh!
-Andrew

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▪ 2/16/05; location unknown

hey,
Im going to use some of these pictures for my really big assignment. i want to know if they are copyrighted ?Thank you
[omitted]

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▪ 2/18/05; Eastern Oregon University

Do you mind if I use these images in my Language and Culture class?
[omitted]

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▪ 2/18/05; Berry University

Dr. Lukas,
I am writing a "mock" grant proposal for my Social Theory class here at Berry. I have stumbled across your lecture and I was making sure that I could use a few quotes for my paper. I am not publishing it or anything, but you have a lot of good points. I am writing on How to define marriage cross-culturally and you talk about different types of arguments of why marriage exists and how it's defined. Very interesting, just wanted to make sure it would be okay. Thanks for you time.

[omitted]

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▪ 2/23/05; Linfield College

Greetings, I am a faculty member at Linfield College in McMinnville. I saw a few ads on genderads.com in the section men/phallic - numbers 70 71 and 72. Do you know what the type of alcohol it is and where it is sold. Where did you find these ads (magazine?)

Thanks.
[omitted]

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▪ 3/29/05; location unknown

Hey,
I have a presentation to do about racial stereotypes in advertising. The ads on your site are great but you did not say where you toook them from. I am especially interested in images 44, 35, 23, 24, 25, 27, 36, 12, 14, and
15 on "women of color" page. If you could please let me know what magazines these ads are from, I would really appreciate it. Thank! Melisha

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▪ 11/4/04; location unknown

Greetings,

I have enjoyed looking through your website as I try to better understand the issue of 'woman as object.' (It was the first page that came up on Google!) I have not done a lot of feminist reading (just some general study in philosophy), and am wondering if you can help me understand something... or suggest what I should read to understand this issue better.

Where did this idea of 'woman as object' get started? Is there a particular thinker that said this first?

Do we exploit others as objects in other realms? Are there ways of doing it that are not offensive? (I am having a hard time pulling apart how objectifing a playboy model as a sexual-object is different from objectifying my teacher as a teaching-object, or my doctor as a healing-object to put it in a super-simple way.)

Is it a reasonable question to ask whether or not we can experience others without objectifying them? (If you start with the idea that you can't transcend another's subjectivity, then you are left with all others as objects, right?)

Any help or reading suggestions would be appreciated!

Thanks!

Jennifer

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▪ 3/11/05; location unknown

a dialogue

I think many of the cases of objectifying or demeaning ads presented on your site are not so. For example, Women as Dolls, or the Surreal Women sections. Many of these ads appeal to us though their creative use of visual elements and beuatiful photography, set design, and fashion, not to mention makeup and hair. It is unquestionalbly an image that is being presented, sold to us, but so what? Images are the stuff dreams are made of, and to appeal to us though
out aethetic senses is exactly what advertising like this often does.

In fact, many times the dolls section or surreal section shows images that in some cases are based on, or very similar to, avant-garde dance theatre or other performance based venues. For some stunning visual images, check out Broadway's LION KING, or the move THE SADDEST MUSIC IN THE WORLD.

What these ads do is to take art photography, fashion, and design, and invest alot of money and talent to create stunning visual images that appeal to the aethetes inside us. I see no problem with this. And I do not see it as objectifying, either. Else is all art that features male, female, or andro bodies likewise bad???

Also, the parts where sex, phallic images, and sexuality, beauty is mentioned: obviosuly rape and violence are no good, but as for the rest, I think we humans are extremely sexual beings, and I see no reason to regard that or the presentation of that to be bad. Of couse, sexuality as a tool to sell things sounds sneaky, but we're all human, intelligents, and thoughtful creatures. We can handle it. I have many more observations to add, and qualifiying statements I could place here, but I think this is enough for now.

[omitted]

please reply

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▪ 3/3/05; Iowa State University

Hello Dr. Lukas,

I teach a large-enrollment intro to [omitted] course at iowa state university and have been encouraging students to explore issues raised in class by following links on my site. I have added a link to your site to my own course website.

Yours is one of the most educative sites I've encountered. The presentation is very well done, the commentary effective. Thank you for making it available to a broader community. I especially think it is important for students to see the defaced posters and the cartoons that demonstrate the misogyny that is officially ignored in these conservative times. I'm also showing a 20 minute clip from "The Handmaid's Tale" in class on Friday. I had not viewed the film or thought much about Atwood's book since I had initially since it when released some 10+ years ago, and was surprised at its relevance.

Regards, [omitted]

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▪ 12/18/04; location unknown

Do you hate men? Seriously though, you make some interesting points, but I think that you may be overanalyzing things a bit. While some of those advertisements are indeed offensive, most of them are just using sex to make money. Its worked for years and will continue to work. There is nothing wrong with a man looking at a female body sexually. Its just part of our nature.

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▪ 1/13/05; Ort Braude College, Israel

Dear Dr Lukas,
In a search for new feminist sites I came across your Gender Ads site, and want to express my appreciation for the fantastic job.I teach gender issues, and regularly have my students, in Israel, submit collections of ads containing images of females and males, classify them, analyze them, and expose hidden messages. The students invariably tell me they will never be able to look at an ad as they did before. I too have created powerpoint presentations of disturbing, sexist ads,and show them at times, though I much prefer to have my students bring stuff they find.

The tools for analysis you offer are much like my work, so I had to send you this note, while your site is still open on my computer to say WELL DONE. In the future I shall refer students to your site.

Sincerely,
[omitted]

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▪ 6/3/05; Ditchwitch (???)

WHY? BECAUSE WOMEN ARE STUPID, THUS MAKING THEM EASY TARGETS.

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▪ 6/8/05; location unknown

I am looking for a way to give reconization for this web site. I am writing a paper on Controversy advertisment. I want to use some items from your web site. I may have missed the infor I was looking for, sorry if I did. Can you help me out by answering the followering questions:authors name/ publishers name year of publication/last update

Thank you,

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▪ 7/8/05; location unknown

 I'm writing a paper for school on "Controversial television advertising" and I would like to use info from you. I'm having a hard time finding your name or organization please e-mail me back.
[omitted]

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▪ 7/14/05; Simon Fraser University

Hey,
Great site! I am writing an advertising paper on hegemony dealing with the emancipation and exploitation of subcultures. Within the paper, I have to critically examine 3 separate ads. I realize that your site doesn't particularly deal with this aspect of the advertising world... but I thought that you might know where I could possibly look... maybe there is a section on your site that deals with this up and coming issue that I have overlooked... if so - i'm sorry to have bothered you.

Thanks for any help
[omitted]

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▪ 7/8/05; Greece
Dr. Lukas, Scott

I really thank you very much.

Your answer is a little general, but it helps. Now if you can be more specific and with more details on each of the effect (physical, psychological, economic and social) that I am asking you, it would be more helpful and better for me in order to analyze it deeper in my research.

I will make a presentation after finish my research, and I would like to have more details in order to convince my audience and understand the real effects of this kind of relationship. You know, in our days many women’s are victims of this type of relationships, and I want to stop this. Again thank you very much, I persuade this.
Respectfully,
[omitted]

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▪ date unknown; Truckee Meadows Community College

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▪ date unknown; University of Sheffield, England

Hej! My name is [omitted] and I'm a 3rd year journalsim student at University of Sheffield in England. I'm researching my dissertation that I willstart after Christmas and I luckely found your website which has been extremely useful. I would like to focus my work on the faux lesbianism and was wondering if you had any tips on what to read...My Uni library is big but don't unfortunatly have it all...If you have any ideas where I could start I would be very grateful! >Sincerely [omitted]

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▪ date unknown; Emmanuel College

Hello. My name is [omitted], and I just finished writing a paper as part of my English class final at Emmanuel College. I found your site very, very helpful for my research. My paper was on the duality of women in modern media (based on the duality of women ideas from Simone de Beauvoir). I would just like to point out something quite disturbing that I realized after studying many of the ads that you have posted on your website. there are two ads, one that was listed in violence against women and the other I believe was in death. They seem to be strikingly related. The ad in which
there is a man who seems to be hold a woman in a red dress over the railing of a buliding's roof, seems to be the precursor to the ad in which there is a woman who appears to be dead laying on the ground (in a red dress, the
same woman) with what seems to be blood near her head. I was just wondering if I am over-analyzing, or if these two ads are produced by the same company. If so, I would like to know what company they were advertising
for, so I can email or write to them about this horribly devious ad. thank you,-[omitted]

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▪ date unknown; location unknown
I am doing a project on one of your ads for my english class. I've been
you could possibly tell me where I could find it. It is image 41 in the violence against women category. If you could please let me know the company that made the ad, or any information concerning the ad, please
email me back at [omitted] Thank you for your time.
[omitted]

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▪ 5/12/03; location unknown

This collection is fantastic. What a great resource! My only complaint is that some ads are pretty fuzzy in the reproduction,
which makes them much harder to use e.g. as teaching resources in my Gender Studies course. Is it possible to improve the resolution at which they're scanned or whatever?
Cheers, michael.

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▪ 5/22/03; Santa Cruz, California

This is incredible work and I will link our site to your page and hope you get the attention this site deserves! I have so many of these same images that I have collected since 1984--I really don't know why I save them but--presented as you have them I see why--let me know if you need anything more--good lord--what a bizarre world we live in to allow advertising such sway over our lives. Thank you and again --let me know if I can help in any way.
Media Watch: Challenging racism, sexism and violence in the media through education and action!
PO Box 618
Santa Cruz, CA 95061-0618
831-423-6355

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▪ 5/22/03; Ann Arbor, Michigan

Yes I saw the genderads site. I love it! Were you inspired by the films on Male fantasy?
I would love for you to speak at my college- The University of Michigan--Ann Arbor. I have been surveying many, many women from different ethnic, social, and economic backgrounds about street harrassment. Unfortunately, all have said that they receive the most harassment from African American males, that come in a range of all ages. What can we do to end this type of harassment stemming from the African American male culture? I notice that they demean women in the music videos, so maybe fighting for some type of law against this would help. I am definitely not saying that they are the only male group that treat women like this, but unfortunately, they tend to be the majority. Anyways, please consider speaking at the University of Michigan. We would love to have you.

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▪ date unknown; location unknown
I thought the site was an interesting view. The thing that really struck me was how often it was the female who was controling the gestures.
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▪ date unknown; Waynesburg College
My name is [omitted] and I am a freshman student at Waynesburg College in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania. I am writing a research paper about gender issues in advertisements. I was hoping you would be avaible for either a phone or online interview. Please let me know via email as soon as possible.

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▪ date unknown; location unknown
I was just wondering if you had any luck on finding where I could get that ad. Or, if you knew what company the ad was for. Thank you for your time,
[omitted]

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▪ date unknown; location unknown
Hi Scott---and thanks for passing this link on (and for the mention of Merge
and ACME). I'll make sure on the next site update to add you to our links. You did a lot of work (I know how long it takes to scan things!)---but it's really comprehensive and useful--Best, Action Coalition for Media Education

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▪ date unknown; location unknown
WOW Scott this is great! Can I add your webpage link to our website?
Thanks!
Mind on the Media

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▪ date unknown; South Lake Tahoe, CA
Wow, Scott, this is an amazing website. I just spent 5 minutes looking at it and could well spend many hours really getting into it. What an incredible amt of time, thought, energy, work etc. you put into that. Unfortunately, I just missed your workshop; but I am planning to come to the Friday workshop, and I am allowing extra credit for 60 or so people from my classes if they choose to come. I for sure will be there.

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▪ 6/15/03; West Virginia University
Hello, my name is [omitted] and I am currently working on a project for my Women's Studies course here at WVU. It is the
presentation of women in diet ads, more precisely, crash diets v. healthy diets. I was wondering if one specific section of your website delt with this issue, or it was more generalized and spread out? Any information you could offer would be greatfully appreciated. Thank you. [omitted]

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▪ 3/23/03; Nashville, Tennessee
I am an artist based in Nashville who is working on a sculpture/project which discusses the problems with the views, stereotypes and images of women in art. I ran across your site and have found it full of
wonderful information. Would it be ok if I used some quotes on the CD rom which will accompany my work? I of course will give full credit and links. I can also send you a link to the online version of the CDrom as soon as I have it completed.

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▪ 3/23/03; location unknown
 Thanks for the suggestion -- great resource. --Karla

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▪ 4/23/03; Ohio State University
Dear Professor Lukas,  I just learned of a full line of t-shirts produced by the David
and Goliath company that might be of interest to you in connection with your Gender Ads Project. Visit the web site of David and Goliath for a look at a new line of merchandise. For $20.00 you can get a t-shirt like this:
If you don't like that one, there are lots more with such witty lines as:
* Boys are Stupider - Send them to Jupiter
* Boys Lie - Poke them in the Eye
* Where Boys are Made - Stupid Factory
* Boys are Goobers - Drop Anvils on their Heads
* Boys are Full of It - Throw Poop at Them
* Boys are Dumb
* Never Underestimate the Stupider more.
I didn't find any similar line of t-shirts expressing misogyny, though there I did find a few items for sale on the web site that express offensive attitudes toward women and I didn't look through
the entire site. Best Wishes, [omitted]

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▪ 8/5/04; Pikes Peak Community College
Hi. I'm an [omitted] instructor at Pikes Peak Community College in Colorado Springs, CO. I was wondering if I could use your website in my Comp. courses when we're doing our unit which focuses on reading images and understanding them. I'm particularly interested in your page "The Male Gaze" and would also like to know where you found the images online to use on your webpage (or did you scan them all in?). If you don't mind giving me classroom access to your website, please let me know. Thanks, [omitted]

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▪ 8/5/04; East Tennessee State University
While doing a search on Dreamworlds II I found your website. It is fantastic! There is so much information here. The ads deliver a powerful message and cover an incredible amount of material. Please provide some information about yourself so that I can properly introduce your website to my women's studies class. Thanks. [omitted]

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▪ 9/11/04; Massey University, New Zealand
I teach a course in [omitted] at Massey University, New Zealand. I thought I should give you some feedback about how wonderful your website is - not to mention helpful! It must have taken so much time to collect the resources and create the site - I am very grateful for the finished resource. Regards, [omitted]

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▪ 9/5/04; South Africa
I wanted to congratulate you on your site - you've obviously put in a lot of time and effort. I appreciate it - wonderful to come across such a site! Currently writing my masters thesis on a similar subject : Feminism in South African advertising (or more precisely, the backlash against feminism present in advertising). Your site is at the top of my favourites' list as of sites. Sexism here is mostly in the form of the ubiquitous Domestic goddess and the usual sexpots. The argument I put forward in my (nowhere near finished!) thesis is that the advertising industry gives with the one hand while taking with the other. In other words, they 'make up' for any feminist-positive images that may slip through the net by reverting to the safe and popular stereotypes in many adverts. If you know South Africa, you would know that there is a great economic divide - a divide which translates into social inequalities as well. The struggle of the urban woman cannot be compared to that of the impoverished rural woman. As I said, I would be very interested in hearing your views and sharing my thoughts. [omitted]

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▪ 6/26/04; location unknown
Hi! My name is Sylvea, and I was reading your website, and I totally agree with the information posted there. I recently did a report on gender stereotypes and sexism in advertising, and I am so glad to see a site out there trying to expose this. Keep up the good work! *Sylvea

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▪ 10/9/05; location unknown
i am citing your source in a sociology paper that i am writing, who is the autor of the site and when was it published?

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▪ 2/6/06; Dublin, Ohio elementary school
I love your project and the resources you have compiled. It gets better every time I check it. I am an elementary art teacher concerned with preparing my students to interact with an inherently visual world. I try and teach them to question what they see. I do not tell them what is "right" or "wrong", but expose them to imagery that raises questions and needs to be actively deconstructed as opposed to passively consumed. I have one suggestion. Is there any way you could include some more ads that are not as "daring" visually? It would be hard for me to show many of the images for fear of administration/parents. I am sure there are many ads with the same theme that might be better at the elementary level. again let me applaud your hard work. I have your site bookmarked and have passed it along to many educators. Let me know what you think. Bravo! [omitted]
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▪ 1/31/06; location unknown
Hello! I am doing a project in my college course about the "ideal male" and it's unrealistic portrayal. Are there any examples of downloadable commercials that fit this stigma? Any advice you have would be great! Thanks so much and your site is really amazing. EVERYONE should see it! ~Heather

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 ▪ 8/9/05; location unknown

A commentary on Phallic Images
To whom it concerns:
I was viewing the advertisements you had available on the Phallic Signifier page and I wanted to point out something concerning the lipstick advertisements showing open mouths in various positions.

Colored lips, like outlined eyelids, are vaginal images, rather than phallic. In this instance, women color their lips, usually deep red shades, to mimic the shape and color of the vaginal lips. Likewise, eyeliner is used to outline the basic shape of the eye, which in turn causes the eye to take on vaginal appearances. That you have so many gaping lipsticked mouths is actually a mistake on a phallus page. Yes, they are advertisements directed at women, but subconsciously both men and women recognize both phallus and vaginal images. Also, any number of men will feel attraction to lipstick ads for the same reason women feel attraction to male-directed phallus-dominated ads. Opposite genders feel sexual attraction toward these images, while same genders will feel a sense of identification with these ads. To put it crudely, a man seeing a phallic-laden ad should feel compelled to buy the product as a symbol of his virility, while a woman would buy a product in a vaginal-laden ad because it pronounces her sexuality and femininity.

Ads that include lipsticked mouths with straws, lipsticks, drink bottles, etc., are actually intercourse ads, rather than phallic, since they mimic both sexes involved in the act of penetration. That is why so many lipstick ads have the tube against the woman's mouth. Again, that brings up the idea of lips-as-vagina.

I thought I'd bring this up because while your page is very entertaining, the information isn't completely accurate, and you might have fun putting up a Phallus-Vaginal-Penetration page instead, to complete the images. Don't forget, eyeliner is also a vaginal image, as are any sorts of purses, handbags, or anything that suggests depth and an outlined opening of some kind. Those are usually more subtle than even the most subtle phallic images.


Hi:
very good commentary on the page. Can I post your comments on the page? Scott

Yes, of course. Thank you so much for asking and I really enjoyed the work you put into the page. Tabitha.

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  ▪ 10/22/05; Fashion Institute of Technology
Lucas [sic],
I am an Advertising and Marketing student at the Fashion Institute of Technology. I recently visited your website and I had some thoughts on the ad featuring women. I think of myself as a strong female. I have a very open mind and I do not take discrimination against women lightly. I have to admit that after viewing your website I was a bit confused as to why some ads were being discriminated against, especially in the "stupid" category. I was shocked to see that people thought an ad featuring a beautiful woman portrays them as stupid. I don't find this offensive at all and I think that people are being a bit too sensitive. It will get to the point where every single ad is being criticized for offending someone is some way. Some
ads truly are offensive and I commend you for pointing them out, but others are so far from offensive. I hope that my opinions do not offend any of the readers on your website as that is not my intention, but just to give my own personal opinion. [omitted]
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  ▪ 9/27/05; location unknown
I've been looking at your site in relation to a project I'm doing for my undergraduate studies. On the page relating to the phallus in advertising you mention Cortese as someone who has written about this, but I can't find him/her listed in your bibliography. Could you let me know please the bibliographic details for Cortese and perhaps the other authors you mention? (I've tried checking library catalogues but to no avail)  Many Thanks
[omitted]

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 ▪ 1/5/05; location unknown
I am currently a 3rd year art student writing my dissertation on the effects advertisement have on woman and how they are portrayed in the ads. I would be very grateful for any information,articles or images you may have that you would be able to send me. thank you for your time. [omitted]

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 ▪ 2/12/06; location unknown
Hello, I recently wrote about an ad on your site. It was a bud light ad that says, "Are we having" then a picture of a bud light bottle and "yet?". In the background there was four girls and one guy at a bar. What happen to this ad. Is is still on your cite. I need a picture of it. Thanks, Nate from Iowa

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 ▪ 7/25/05; University of North Carolina
Dear Dr. Lukas, firstly, please allow me to thank you for the incredible work you have done compiling ads with a critical analysis. I am a PhD Candidate in Sociology at UNC-CH, and a former staff person in the rape crisis movement, and I have used your website many, many times in classes and presentations to promote media literacy and critical thinking.

Today, in fact, I was discussing mainstream advertising and heterosexual pornography and I showed the ad that you have saved in the "Violent Women" section as "image 8" -- it shows a woman cutting herself with a razor. A student asked me what the context for this particular ad was (where it came from and when it was produced), as he found it particularly disturbing. The text in the ad is so small that I cannot make it out. I was wondering if you had that information handy . . .

Again, I greatly appreciate the time and energy you have put into the genderads website; additionally, I appreciate your time and energy in reading this message. If my question is not clear, please don't hesitate to contact me for additional info . . . Many thanks, and best wishes,
[omitted]
PhD Candidate, Sociology
UNC-Chapel Hill

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 ▪ 2/26/06; Bardley University
Dr. Lukas
I have came across your websit GenderAds.com online and I find it very interesting. I attend Bradley University and I am writing a paper for my womens studies 400 course on Gender and Advertising. I believe that your website will be a very helpful resource. I just was not sure how to cite it. If you have the time, I would be very appreciative if you could e-mail me back and let me know how you would like me to cite your work. Thank You Very Much [omitted]

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  ▪10/25/05; University of Nevada, Reno
Hi, I just saw this and thought I'd send it your way. Thanks for a great site!
[omitted]
University of Nevada, Reno
Women's Studies Major
victorias secret.doc

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 ▪ 7/13/05; Louisiana State University
Dr. Lukas, I just wanted to let you know how helpful your GenderAds site has been. I am an advertising student at LSU. I stumbled upon the site while searching for information on stereotypes in print advertising. It t