Who is really behind these powerful “Gendercide” ads?

Buzzfeed’s Copyranter calls them “Powerful” and “brutally honest”. We know that the ads are from O&M Vietnam. But who is “The Life Foundation”?

Facebook and advertisers called out for misogynist content (trigger warning)  #FBrape

In a recent post on my Ethical Adman blog, I talked about the problem Facebook is having with branded social ads showing up on pages and posts that are misogynistic and violent:

Facebook’s problem with pages that promote rape culture is well known. The social network that has the sensibilities of a stereotyped grannie when it comes to showing certain kinds of nudity in even the most innocent context can’t seem to stop pages that encourage criminal assault and rape.

The issue of brand ads showing up on awful Facebook pages made mainstream news yesterday when it was revealed that Dove — that paragon of pro-women marketing — had one of its ads show up on a page called “Drop kicking sluts in the teeth”.

If Facebook hasn’t taken steps to rectify this advertising problem yet (and, let’s face it, advertising is their whole business) then they may be forced to be a new online movement.

Women, Action & The Media has launched a campaign to put pressure on both Facebook and its advertisers to control “gender-based hate speech” on its pages, the same way they say it does with other hate speech:

Facebook has long allowed content endorsing violence against women. They claim that these pages fall under the “humor” part of their guidelines, or are expressions of “free speech.” But Facebook has proven willing to crack down on other forms of hate speech, including anti-Semitic, Islamophobic and homophobic speech, without claiming such exemptions.

That’s why we’re calling on Facebook to make the only responsible decision and ban gender-based hate speech.

Victim-blaming sexual harassment “PSAs” from Iran

Translation: “Veil is Security”

We talk a lot, in the west, about victim-blaming in sexual assault and harassment ads. In Iran, however, deliberate victim-blaming is apparently the preferred strategy.

This collection, put together by Buzzfeed’s Copyranter, provides translations which I have included below the images.

Femen’s “Topless Jihad” against misogyny in Tunisia (nudity)

[via Femen.org]

Today, April 4, is “Topless Jihad Day” for the international feminist group Femen. It is support of Amina Tyler, a woman belonging to their Tunisian chapter who was committed to a psychiatric hospital by her family after posting topless pictures of herself online, her body decorated with feminist slogans like “My body belongs to me, and is not the source of anyone’s honor.”

Like Egypt’s Aliaa Magda Elmahdy before her (now a member of Femen also) Ms. Tyler’s public nude resistance to conservative sexual “morals” has put her more extreme Islamist countrymen on the offensive:

Tunisian newspaper Kapitalis quoted the Wahabi Salafi preacher Almi Adel, who heads the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, saying: “The young lady should be punished according to sharia, with 80 to 100 lashes, but [because of] the severity of the act she has committed, she deserves be stoned to death.

[From the Femen Tunisia Facebook page]

Mehndi against violence in marriages

Great artwork made for Maitri India. Great use of Mehndi, the skin decoration which is practiced mainly India and Nepal.

“Most cases of violence in marriages go unnoticed.”

Reality Check on Valentine’s Day

This is the newest chapter part of the ongoing campaign from United Way of Greater Milwaukee. The goal of the campaign is to reduce teen birth rate.

For Valentine’s Day agency Serve marketing made a reality check for teens about the risk of becoming pregnant caused by empty promises and misleading demonstrations of love.

Print ads are strategically placed at bus shelters in areas with high teen pregnancy rates. Each ad depicts a teenage boy with headlines reading “Baby, you’re the one,” “You are so fine,” and “I would do anything for you.” The ad copy displays messages that can be found inbetween the lines of teen love notes. It illustrates that professions of young love and loyalty may be true for now, but bring a baby into the picture and young girls risk dealing with pregnancy on their own. The ads direct teens to BabyCanWait.com, connecting them to information and resources to help prevent pregnancy and promote healthy relationships.

Nicole Angresano, Vice President of Community Impact for United Way of Greater Milwaukee: “Teenage girls often live with the illusion that if they get pregnant, their boyfriend will stay with them and they will all be a happy family. We know that’s not reality. Being a teen parent is hard and scary and all too often the young girl is left alone to deal with not only the pregnancy and birth of the child but the expense and stress of caring for that child.”

Planned Parenthood wants to change the language around women’s health issues

This is interesting. After successfully rallying women to vote for their reproductive rights in the 2011 U.S. election, Planned Parenthood wants to end the debate of “pro-life” versus “pro-choice” by simply rejecting the terms:

With the “Not In Her Shoes” campaign, Planned Parenthood insists that the person whose opinion about abortion counts more than anyone else’s is a pregnant woman. Everyone else is “not in her shoes” and should not be telling her what do to.

In Bangalore men ‘Skirt the Issue’

India is one of the most dangerous places in the world for women to live in. To address this issue, with the recent terrible rape cases in mind, a small group of men took to the streets in Bangalore wearing a skirt.
It was an idea of Samarpita Samaddar and her friend Adithya Mallya: “I was furious over Alwar BJP MLA Banwari Lal Singhal’s statement banning girls wearing short skirts to school. As we spoke more about this, Adithya wondered if men wore skirts, would they get molested? That’s how we came up with a plan to walk on Brigade Road in skirts on January 12.”

It is an action like Slut Walk Toronto we wrote about often.
As Samarpita said on the Facebook event page: “Why does wearing a skirt make a difference? It’s a satirical take on the issue to draw attention to the absurd idea that what a woman wears invites sexual assault. Wear that skirt as a symbol of your support to a woman’s right to wear what she wants, be who she is, exercise her rights, and be safe in her city. Nothing shows more solidarity with women than breaking barriers and boundaries of “his” and hers”.

Related posts:
- Mapping Violence Against Women In India

No 'Skirting' the Gender Issue door tvnportal

Love Issue now in print: What Do You Miss?

Our regular visitors know that I’m a fan of Oitzarisme, the blog from Constantin Nimigean about photography. And from his magazine Love Issue. It is about Love & Issues.
Recently he published the first Love Issue edition in print. The first six editions were online only.
And this first print edition is great again. Reading and watching a magazine is a completely different experience than online. Seclude yourself is something we no longer know that good.

You can order Love Issue #7 here.

This Issue contains ten beautiful, sometimes heartbreaking, photographic reports and series. From ten different photographers.
Like ‘Couple Clothing’ from Erik Nauman. The title covers it completely.
Snog is a serie by Rankin. Snog in a very literal way.

And what I like the most is ‘What do you miss’ from Ioana Cîrlig.
It is a collection of portraits and Polaroids from women in the Târgșor prison in Romania.
See some of them below.

Ioana Cîrlig: “I wanted to find out what they think about the stuff they can’t do while they’re inside. What they miss especially the litle things like taking a walk in the park or having a beer on a terrace.
I took a Polaroid of one of the the things they said they miss. I show the Polaroids next to the portrait.

All pictures © Ioana Cirlig

Aida, 54, is serving a 10-year sentence for murder. She miss watching TV, taking her grandchildren to the park, taking care of her family and taking walks in the city.

How Advertisers Failed Women in 2012

You might think advertisers would have stopped objectifying woman and girls, right?

This is the latest video from Miss Representation. They want your help to transform what media looks like for the next generation of boys and girls.
You can contribute and donate here.