but competition over men sells shit!

[keryx]

Nike, if you haven't heard, has started a series of ads where they photograph women's 'troublesome' body parts at angles that make rather small women look rather large. [See the ads: knees, hips, legs, thighs, and butt.]

The Nike campaign is pretty arresting if you see the ads in print. If you ignore the hardbodied youth of the women in these ads (which is hard to do when contrasted with their "MY BUTT IS BIG" talk - what, has no one actually seen a BIG butt?), they're a nice contrast to the over the top femininity of a lot of ads - including the ones Dove's been doing with their whole "Campaign for Real Beauty". Maybe I just like the Nike ads better because the women are more butch, but it also seems less disingenous to sell sporting goods by saying sporting bodies are also beautiful than to sell cellulite cream by talking about inner beauty [unless what you're saying is that my fat cells are pretty?].

That said. If you go to Nike's website and check out the women talking (click on the "What Story Does Your Body Tell?" link; their website sucks at direct linking), there's quite a bit of talk that's... well, catty. As if the message is that we can be tough and competitive, but deep down we're all still girls - which means, apparently, that we're indirect and all the things you were warned about when you read Odd Girl Out.

As if to prove that point, Torrid is making a button that says don't hate me because I'm beautiful; hate me because your boyfriend thinks I am, all pink and pretty-like, too. No matching "or just hate me because I'm a mean-spirited person" button is available.

Comments

[libskrat]

But... but... but... are the Nike ads really saying that sporting bodies are beautiful? Haven't seen ads, but that's not the impression I get -- the impression I get from descriptions is "even sporting bodies have SUCK BITS (therefore all women are ugly)!"

I mean, WTF?

[keryx.livejournal.com]

The text of the ads does seem to say sporting bodies are beautiful. Accompanying stuff and the OVERALL attitude are undoubtedly that big butts are at least supposed to be bad, even if it turns out they're okay cause they're sporty and useful.

I fully embrace the teeny bit of shift towards thinking about the body as function over appearance that the ads imply, though.

[libskrat]

Having read the ads now (I tend to avoid such things unless I hear from more than one corner that they won't spike my blood pressure!), I agree with you. The defiant tone is welcome; we have to defy big=bad before we can replace it.

[peregrin8.livejournal.com]

I do not like Nike. But I do kinda like that "thunder thighs" ad. And "my butt is big ... and if you don't like it, you can kiss it" is a pretty great message to see in a magazine.

[futurebird.livejournal.com]

I admitt it! I like them better becuse the women in these ads look like me. They are all young and in good shape.

but it also seems less disingenous to sell sporting goods by saying sporting bodies are also beautiful than to sell cellulite cream by talking about inner beauty

Word.

I wish they'd stop using sweat shops. Nike has had great images of women in ads for YEARS but I still can buy any running shoes.