Contributed by Annamarya

After seeing Portland, Oregon’s ad agency Wieden + Kennedy’s new spot for Old Spice featuring former NFL wide receiver Isaiah Mustafa, I got to thinking about how Old Spice’s image has been completely reinvented. It went from the old man’s product to the ruggedly handsome, funny, intelligent man’s product, and I have to say, as a woman, I absolutely love it.

Why? Because never once do the new Old Spice advertisements portray women as stupid (like Diesel’s Be Stupid ads), or as sexual objects (like Miller Lite’s cat fight commercial) for the sole purpose of selling the product. They also do not suggest that women will jump on a man because of the way he smells like all the Axe body spray commercials. Instead, women are given the power of choice and their intelligence is never insulted. As Chicago Sun-Times‘ Lewis Lazare put it in a July 5 article: “…there…is the simple joy that comes from the surprising way the spot unfolds — always keeping the viewer guessing about where Mustafa will wind up at the end of the spot and never resorting to any sleazy or juvenile ploys.”

My friend did make a point that this new spot and an earlier Old Spice commercial featuring Mustafa are demeaning because, in her words, “why can’t guys use fruity body washes?” But where she sees demeaning, I see truth. The commercial doesn’t say men can’t use lady body washes (or that lady body washes make women less powerful) but rather focuses on personal preference, playing on the smells that, as a society, we associate with femininity and masculinity. These two spots are meant to appeal to women (like me) who not only want their men to smell like Dos Equis’ “most interesting man in the world” instead of cherry blossoms but also have a sense of humor about the absurdity of it (no, Old Spice won’t make your man build you a kitchen and make you a cake, but it sure is fun to sniff him and imagine he would).

Still, I have to say, I find it a bit hypocritical for any women to find Old Spice sexist or demeaning. Why? Simple: do you want to smell like a man? (I know I don’t but I also don’t want to smell like bananas or roses, so there’s that). As much as Wieden plays into smell associations with these Old Spice spots, women do too by buying themselves fruity or floral scented products. So, unless you’re using body wash for men, there’s no room to talk.

Contributed by Annamayra

Last week,  The Huffington Post published a list of 14 Funniest Sex Education Posters of All Time that are not only mystifying in their propaganda but also hilariously sexist (at least a few of them). And when we say hilarious, we mean “Say what?? Why don’t you just tattoo ‘whore’ on my forehead?” funny – as in, “we can’t believe that these posters actually passed for sexual education instead of what they really are – misinforming advertisements that further push women to the bottom of the totem pole.”  Look at our favorite picks and see if you agree.

What the poster is trying to say: Be safe. We know you want to have a good time when you have a couple of days off from saving the world, but listen, you let your inhibitions get the best of you and you just might end up with some horrible (curable, mind you) disease that will so cripple you, you won’t be able to fight the Axis Powers and win the honor of your fellow solider – and AMERICA!

What the poster is really saying: Women will destroy your life, even though syphilis and gonorrhea are totally treatable (yep, even back in the day when a tiny, insecure little man with a horrible mustache and superiority complex  was trying to beat the world into submission). You mess around with a woman, even one as innocent looking as this little red head over here, and you sacrifice your health and the safety of your fellow man. Yep.

What the poster is trying to say: Virginity is a virtue. Keep it locked up for the right man, otherwise your impurity will be the equivalent of killing 6 million innocent people.

What the poster is really saying: Listen, girl, you can’t make your own decision. I mean, yea, sure, you’re smart (yea, right) and all that, and sure, it’s your body, so you get to choose whether or not you are ready to give it up, but, guess what? You’re not and can’t, because even if you’re making a completely rational decision to give up your virginity to the person you love sans ring or that really hot greaser with the dreamy blue eyes, we’ll look at you as someone who joined the Nazis.

What the poster is trying to say: “Loose women” may carry diseases that you aren’t aware of, so be safe and run away. Go for the nice church-going gal that lives across the street. She’s swell.

What the poster is really saying: “Loose women” are the equivalent of…a LOADED GUN! They will kill you. Their supple breasts, round bottoms and curvy hips are pregnant with an uncountable amount of bullets that will shoot into your body and take your life. And you know what those bullets represent? They represent the VD that we think the whore has (but we really don’t know. I mean, she’s hot so she has to have some disease, right) and will give you if you sleep with her! Seriously, the girl across the street is really swell. Like, really swell. Oh, wait, what? She’s that red head from the poster above? Never mind then. She’ll keep you from winning the war.

Bonus
Because there are a number of funny posters from the HuffPo list, here are a couple of others that made us laugh.

Interviewed by Cherie

Developing, implementing and overseeing media strategies for some of the hottest acts in the music biz including Lil Wayne, Stevie Wonder, Kelly Rowland, Drake, Erykah Badu, Akon, Kid Cudi, and Melanie Fiona is just a typical day for Phylicia Fant. Recently promoted to the position of Vice President of Media Relations at Universal Motown, she explains what makes a successful PR campaign and how as a strong and savvy businesswoman she comes to terms with the sometimes negative messages in the music she promotes.  She also discusses the various changes in the industry and gives us her take on whether major labels are really the evil empire.

Can you tell us about your background and how you got into music publicity? Was this a career you always wanted to pursue?

I have worked in music publicity for almost 10 Years. I majored in English and minored in writing at Spelman College but did not want to teach or practice law, which is traditional for my major. One afternoon, I was in the cafeteria and I saw a posting for an Internship at CNN in public relations looking for English and/or Journalism majors. From that point on I began to research publicity and apply for jobs in PR solely in New York because I knew that is where I wanted to move upon graduation.

How has your industry changed in the past few years with the emergence of social and online media? Do you enjoy the opportunities for more direct interaction with artists offered by these new media or can they be a publicist’s nightmare?

The industry has changed drastically with the number of magazines closing over the last couple of years. There has been a shift from print to online where once we saw online as a secondary option and now the two are interchangeable. The consumer wants instant information and online satisfies that need. It is not regulated so it is definitely near impossible to control how wide the reach is, but for every positive story it is just as beneficial. If anything it makes the publicist more aware of their client.

Representing artists from different genres, how do you, as a successful businesswoman, come to terms with the type of messages conveyed by the music industry that often include negative or stereotypical images of women?

Representing artists from different genres has expanded my appreciation for music and allowed me to create many more opportunities for specific artists who may have been limited by their genre based on fostering such relationships.  As a businesswoman, it is important that I know the business. I can’t act oblivious to consumer demand. The best way to combat negative images is through honest discussions of female sexuality, gender roles and social responsibilities. The music business has been and will always be a smorgasbord of creative expressions, if you place restrictions on it you begin to limit music as an art form.

What are your own biggest challenges with the ways the music industry has evolved?

There are any artists out there, which leads to more comparisons and make the competition for exposure that much more difficult. Also, the decline in album sales changes how we handle our spending.  I think endorsement deals and branding opportunities have become that much more viable. The branding of an artist– which may include endorsing a certain product, product placement in their videos, or on tour sponsorship, has become very important.

Thinking about your artists, do you believe all press is good press? What are your thoughts about public relations’ teams that leak a scandal in order to bring their client into the spotlight for better or for worse?

I can’t judge motives, but (more…)

What’s wrong with wanting to be number one at all times? Nothing at all according to Martha Stewart digital sales associate Madeleine who discusses the importance of being competitive and even a bit selfish when it comes to being a young woman starting a career in sales. Madeleine also shares with us what it is like to work for the controversial lifestyle media mogul and why she believes “everyone has a little bit of Martha inside of them.”

Age? 25

Places you have lived in? Philadelphia, (PA), Baltimore, (MD), Toronto, (CA) New York, (NY), Princeton (NJ)

Places you would like to live in? Rio de Janiero, (BA), London, (UK) San Francisco, (CA)

Job? Digital Sales Associate for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia

You followed in your mother’s footsteps when you decided to work in sales for a big corporation, what do you think are some of the biggest differences between your experience in sales and hers?

My mother became one of the first saleswomen at Xerox and stayed at that job moving up the ladder for twenty-five years. However now you are encouraged to move around and therefore don’t have to have the same goals in five years. I have been told in certain job interviews that it is not possible to move from a sales assistant to a sales executive without leaving the company first and that’s a real shame. But there are some good things with my generation for example I mentioned to her that I wanted to get a mentor for my career work and she suggested a professor of manners from finishing school. I mean my mother needed to wear a suit every single day just to be considered one of the guys on the sales team. She had to take the time to learn how to sip tea with a pinky in the air whereas my work environment is much more casual yet professional.

Martha Stewart is known for turning a catering business into a multibillion-dollar empire, but she’s had her share of negative attention. How does this affect the overall image of the company?

I think that there are a lot of misconceptions about Martha herself, which then reflect on the company’s image. There was obviously a lot of controversy when Martha was made an example of for insider trading. She did pay her dues and now she is back better than ever. You may not like Martha Stewart as a person, but you have to respect her drive and focus as a businesswoman. She made it possible for women to become media moguls and created the lifestyle category all on her own. However, a lot of people assume that Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia only targets the strict super woman, which is the image that they may think of when they think of Martha. I mean a lot of people don’t realize that 37% of our audience is actually male! It definitely reaches a much broader audience then I think people assume.

Speaking of The Martha Stewart image, do you agree that certain products or attitudes marketed by the company are grounded in antiquated ideas of women that do not represent independent career focused women such as yourself?

We are not teaching women how to make dinner for their husbands in a dress, heels and an apron. It is not that image anymore and whether or not women of today will admit it, everyone has a little bit of Martha inside of them. Whether it is planning a wedding, holiday entertaining, cooking, or decorating, there is something within the brand that affects all of us in some way. I think a lot of the things the company sells enable women to do more in their own lives rather than constrain them.

The employees working for Martha Stewart are mostly female, was that ever an issue for you?

As I am a person who has many more male friends than females, the fact that it was almost 80% female did originally concern me but the women who work there are so driven, intelligent, and inspiring that I knew I needed to become a part of it.  This is also inspiring because I have not met a lot of women my age who are not very motivated.

What do you do when you are not working?

Go to the gym [laughs]. I spend time with friends, family and my boyfriend who lives in Washington DC so I travel often to see him. I also like reading, or drinking a glass of wine and watching movies alone in my apartment. Everyone should live alone at least once because you get to know yourself better and value the time to yourself so much more.

Speaking about living, is there anything that you would change about your lifestyle in NYC?

I would definitely change the male to female interactions that happen on the street for example the cat calling. It can be flattering but sometimes it gets on my nerves and I can do without it. I like being noticed but for the right reasons. Other than that I love living in New York.

How do you think women should respond to cat calling? What do you think inspires men to cat call that does not inspire women?

Why would a woman ever cat call? I just wish men wouldn’t do it because it makes me uncomfortable. If a woman were to do it, I feel it would offend me personally because in my opinion we are so much above that as a gender! We don’t need to bring ourselves down to that level.

Some argue that when people have busy schedules they see their significant other just as much whether they are around the corner or far away, with your boyfriend living in D.C. do you agree with this and does the long distance ever affect you?

I don’t find it a problem at all. I like long distance relationships since, as you can imagine, I am very independent and like having my space. During the week I am very work focused and can’t nurture a relationship, but I do like having someone every other weekend that I can spend time with. While we are not seeing other people, it is sort of like a part time relationship in terms of the amount of effort we are putting into it and I like that cushion.

Do you believe that your twenties are the years to be selfish and focus on yourself?

Yes. I have very strong opinions on this because my parents got married at a young age. You only have a short period of time (more…)

In this interview,  Naomi discusses the challenges that come with leaving one of the top ad agencies in the country in order to help people through nonprofit work. She also explains why, despite such challenges, she is still dedicated to giving back by mentoring a child from Mexico and even going through the long and grueling process of donating her eggs.

Age? 25

Where have you lived? Columbia, Maryland which is a planned community so it is very utopian, then I went to Syracuse for college and after that I lived in Brooklyn and now I jus moved to Queens.

Where do you want to live? Chicago, San Francisco and perhaps Vancouver.

Why did you decide to move to Queens?

For the same reason, I originally moved to Brooklyn, which had less competition and was cheaper. I found myself looking in Astoria because people told me Astoria is the Williamsburg of Queens but it is so not. I believe Brooklyn is on the pulse of culture.  I felt surrounded by art even though I may not fit in per say; I had such a good time.

What do you mean when you say that you did not fit in? Did it have anything to do with the hipster culture that is said to permeate Williamsburg?

I don’t think hipsters really exist. I think there are young people trying to find a counter culture but no one labels themselves or admits to being a hipster. That said, I think the ideas of hipsters are really lame and they don’t stand for anything, which is why the sixties were so cool in my opinion. I wish younger people stood up for more.

Living in NYC, is it hard to meet people outside of your normal group of friends?

Unfortunately my friends are all over the place: one is in DC, one in Alaska, one in bumblefuck New York; I wish we are all closer. I feel like everyone being all over is a testament to what I call “the digital lifestyle” that makes it too easy for people to live far away and harder to meet people where you live I think that is my biggest issue but I don’t know if it is just in New York or in the world today I feel that I rarely meet new people and only talk to people that I come with. Even friends at work that I have gotten close to, I feel like they don’t want to make the work to social life step because they feel we already see each other ten hours a day. I could also go on and on about the digital space and how that exacerbates the problem.

But people are also using the digital space to meet people through sites like Match.com or Meetup, have you considered any of these for making friends or dating?

It is actually a really big time commitment. My parents made me do J-date, something I rarely tell people but you have to create this whole profile and then go on every night in order to get to know people. If you don’t screen these people really thoroughly, you risk having a strange dude showing up at your door and being forced to spend the night hanging out with them?

How did you get your job working at one of the biggest advertising agencies in the world? Was the interview process grueling?

Through networking in college. I was an advertising major and wanted to at least dabble into this world. I feel like three and a half years ago it was surprisingly easy to get a job. I knew that I only wanted to do it for a few years for experience and then move into nonprofit work. At the end of the day I don’t think corporate America really respects their employees.

Are you interested in leaving corporate America because you prefer nonprofit work or because you highly dislike corporate America? Have you always felt this way or is this something recent?

I think it came into play more here. I don’t oppose the idea of working for corporate America but I grew up with both of my parents working in the nonprofit realm so I did not know anything else. I just think the pay structure [in corporate America] is not fair and don’t feel like they actually care about advancing their employees. At hedge funds in New York, they just give out bonuses and there are so many more important things and people that need that money more than these Wall Street Bankers and so I find it upsetting. If my clients knew how many hours I worked on some of their project and how much I got paid, they would probably be appalled. (more…)

I personally believe the way to change communication in the workplace is to admit that men got there first, so men got to say what language is used…if we want to be effective, we have to communicate in their language.

Martha Barletta

We have thought about it, talked about it, and learned about it, but despite all the theories, we still ponder the differences between men and women. In this recommended interview: Martha Barletta author of Marketing to Women and expert consultant on selling to women and women in the workplace shares her thoughts these infamous differences. Speaking with Nancy Clark is CEO of WomensMedia, Barletta explains why women need to adjust their communication and presentation in order to be successful in the workplace where men continue to reign due to their years of existence in the workplace without women. You may or may not agree with Barletta’s conclusions but it is definitely worth a read.

Differences Between Men and Women: An Interview with Martha Barletta

Written by Nancy Clark, Saturday, 23 January 2010

Nancy Clark: Martha, I love the way you describe the differences between how men and women communicate. Please explain some of those differences.

Martha Barletta: Men start with the headlines and then they elaborate on them and provide specifics. Men are better at, and are more inclined to be, single-minded and focused. Women are better at, and are more inclined to be, multi-minded and integrated, and this is an expression of that.

Men believe the best way to absorb information and make decisions is to strip away all the muddying details (as they see them) and focus only on the bare bones elements. And that’s their idea of the big picture. Whereas, women’s idea is almost the opposite of that. Women wonder how you can understand the big picture without all the complexity. Most things are not simple. Most things are complex. You have to understand it comprehensively in order to correctly grasp the information and in order to make a good decision with respect to the information. And they feel context is essential for understanding. Most women, before telling you the headlines, will want to set up the situation and say what the context is. And this typically drives men crazy.

Nancy Clark: That’s when you get the eye-rolling from the men.

Martha Barletta: Exactly. It drives them absolutely crazy. Women don’t usually adjust their presentation style in a business situation, because we consider the context and nuances important, but when we’re operating in an environment where people speak a different language, we need to adjust our communication so the communication gets through. I personally believe the way to change communication in the workplace is to admit that men got there first, so men got to say what language is used. Women’s job is to educate men so they understand women’s different ways of doing things are complementary strengths as opposed to how they’re usually viewed—which is the “wrong way.” But meanwhile if we want to be effective, we have to communicate in their language. We’re kidding ourselves if we think we can go into a Japanese workplace and keep stubbornly speaking English and think we’re going to get anywhere.

Nancy Clark: You’re telling women to give men the headline first and then the details. Or give the headline and ask men if they’d like the details.

Martha Barletta: That’s very important, but

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Striving for quality versus quantity, Kameron explains why  she finds there are as many scared women as men when it comes to meeting her or discussing certain topics on her blog “Brutal Women.” With her first novel on the way, Kameron talks about her writing experience, the roles for women and why she feels strongly about putting her name and face out there despite any backlash.

Age? 30

Places you have lived in? Battle Ground and Bellingham, Washington; Fairbanks, Alaska; Durban, South Africa; Chicago, Illinois; Dayton, Ohio. I also spent a great deal of time in NYC and Indianapolis for personal and professional reasons. I liked NYC the least – which surprised me too! Too many people trying to claw over each other, I think.

Place you would like to live? Hoping to get back to the Seattle area in my old age. I flirted with living in a lot of foreign cities over the last decade. I’m getting really tired of hauling 30 years worth of National Geographics up and down 3^rd floor walk-ups. I think it may be time to find a permanent home for the books sometime soon that doesn’t involve me shipping them overseas.

What do you do? I’m a copywriter and communications manager for a financial services firm in Ohio. I also make a little money on the side as a freelance writer.

How important is it for you to post about things people are discussing versus new things people may not know about?

It depends on if I feel I can add something to the conversation. If folks are upset about something I’m passionate about or I feel I can add something to the overall discussion, I’ll speak up. That said, I’ve also gotten pretty attuned to when I should just shut up and listen. Too many people think the Internet was made for egotistical rambling (and you can certainly find a fair bit of that on my blog), but it’s also a great way to meet people with different backgrounds and viewpoints.

How much do you monitor comments and how hard is to do so?

When there’s something useless/inflammatory posted, I simply delete it. I’ve gotten my share of hate mail and threats. You just delete it and move on. It comes with the territory. If you’re going to put yourself out there, you’re going to get a certain amount of backlash. Just be prepared for it, and don’t take it personally. These people don’t know you. They’re generally just afraid of everything you stand for. When you look at hate mail as an indication that you’ve freaked somebody out, it’s much more satisfying.

Do you feel there is a lot of competition between women blogs?

This is an odd question. I’m not sure what exactly “women blogs” would be competing for… It’s like saying that boingboing.net is competing with wired.com for readers. To me, a blog is about having a conversation, not about competing for ad revenue. As far as my blog goes, I never sought after a huge audience. My blog is primarily a personal ranting outlet and secondarily a place to discuss the sorts of issues I’m interested in with a wider audience of folks interested in the same stuff.

The great thing about blogs is that you can speak to a niche audience and still have a lot of readers. The level of discourse also tends to be higher on niche blogs with very loyal audiences than on more general readership types of blogs. It’s like comparing the conversations you see on Making Light or I Blame the Patriarchy (when comments were still active) versus YouTube.

I’ll take thoughtful discussions about power feminism with my loyal niche audience over 1,300 mindless YouTube comments about my breasts any day.

Since you use your given name and post personal photos on the blog, do you ever worry that putting yourself out there may be cause you trouble or even be dangerous for you in some way?

Of course it’s possible that some nut job could attack me. Some nut job could attack me crossing the street tomorrow. I could also get hit by a bus. Should I stop crossing the street?

If somebody wants to hunt you down and kill you, they will. Here’s the thing. (more…)