It’s been a rough year for women in the media. Cindy Crawford came under fire for supporting the images of her daughter’s shoot for Versace’s junior section. Her daughter’s haughty expression and high-fashion pose hinted at maturity she could not possibly possess. The clothes themselves were widely touted as unrealistic and inappropriate. With the exemption of the barely-there youth in her face, lingering in her fuller cheeks and younger eyes, she no longer looked like a child of 10.
TV presenter Yumi Stynes received a torrent of abuse for making the unfortunate comment that war hero Ben Smith-Miles looked like a ‘dud root.’ Threats were made against Stynes’ children, and she was widely vilified in media coverage despite a prompt apology. Co-presenter George Negus escaped the furor.
Columnist Mia Freedmen took to her blog to defend Stynes, writing angrily; ‘Don’t be a woman and make a mistake. Don’t be a woman and say something that offends people. Because the abuse that will rain down on your head will be savage and relentless and will make you fear for your physical safety and the safety of your family.’ Freedmen herself was subject to intense criticism after voicing a personal opinion regarding the status of sport stars as ‘heros.’ She received threats targeting her family and children, and was called a ‘dumb fat whore’ and ‘fucking stupid jew c***’
American “Mummy Blogger” Heather Armstrong received a wave of abuse after sharing personal details of her ongoing battle with depression and admittance to a psychiatric ward. Anonymous users threatened to call child services and have her children removed. After an eternity of intimidation and abuse, she retaliated.
‘The level of my fame is so minuscule in comparison to actual celebrity, but that does not make it any less strange to read the words of strangers who are publicly delighting in my pain, strangers who are actively rooting for me to break down,’ Armstrong wrote. ‘The fact is that I do ignore almost all of it…But this morning I thought, what the hell am I afraid of? And you know what? Not a goddamned thing. Fuck them.’ The comments page exploded with heartfelt congratulatory messages.
Amidst this growing anger and confusion of women’s position in society and portrayal in the media, Jean Killbourne–veteran women’s rights campaigner–has released a new short video. Killing Us Softly 4: Advertising’s Image of Women details the various mechanisms used in advertising to sell women products, stories, morals and expectations that they are expected to achieve in order to be considered "successful."
Killbourne beings with an immaculate, photoshoped model, ‘Women learn from a young age that we must spend time, energy and above all money trying to achieve this look.’ She continues to detail the objectification of women, citing campaigns that dissect women into a composition of ‘parts,’ undermining their value and position in society. Women, she states, are trapped by ‘the tyranny of the ideal image of beauty.’ Advertising sells stories, ideals. Ideals that are false and unattainable. The clincher?
Failure is inevitable. And when women fall, the world seems to be waiting.
