The other day, I saw a pro-life billboard while I was driving in Brooklyn. I’ve heard about the racist anti-choice ad that went up in Manhattan recently, and I’ve seen a couple of similar oudoor ads on my many drives to Syracuse the past four years – but never have I seen one, right there in my city. And it sort of struck a weird chord in me.

I get a feeling (maybe I’ve read it places too? Feel free to fight me on this) that the pro-life movement is winning – in terms of dollars and rhetoric. I’ve heard that their organizations have more members than the ones over here on the pro-choice side. And maybe I don’t notice any pro-choice ads because they don’t make me mad, but I don’t see enormous billboards for me and mine, even though it seems more Americans today are pro-choice.

I’ve heard it framed in a way like…pro-choicers are on the ground, fighting and acting in a different way, because it just makes sense to us. We don’t feel the need to try to convert people with incensed rhetoric or bombing clinics (I know, that’s not the majority of pro-lifers, I know). We’re just going about our business, because we…know we’re right? For lack of a better whatever? When I volunteered at the NY State Fair with PPRSR, handing out condoms, so many people came to our table and were huge supporters – HUGE. Not activists, not radicals – just normal CNY folk. Regs. I feel like being pro-choice just makes sense to pro-choicers. I feel like we know we’re on the right side of history (just like everyone in the world ever), and we aren’t quite sure what all the fuss is about. Or something.

Or maybe it’s like, their words are more reactionary, they’ve got the upper hand when it comes to these type of things. Just in terms of “pro-life/pro-death” and the simplicity in the idea of fetuses being people. Theirs is the type of rhetoric that makes sense to children. The pro-choice side is sort of more complicated. Explaining the reality of abortion to children (and adults!) seems harder. Incest! Rape! Yeah, those are heavy. And so are the other parts, like access to healthcare and insurance, and sick days, and immigration, and domestic violence, and birth control, and systemic and class issues that contribute. I can send people over to Kansas Stories (The original site is no longer up? Gosh, that sure supports my argument) to get a picture of what being pro-choice is all about, or talk their ears off all day, but in the end, that billboard in Brooklyn is still there.

The thing is, I was the only person who graduated from Syracuse University this year with a dual degree in both Advertising and Women’s Studies. If anyone should be figuring all of this out, it should probably be me. That’s what I keep thinking. This is my fight.

I don’t know how to end this post! I don’t want to say what I’m really thinking, which is that I don’t know what to do or where to start; I know there are people who agree with me and are on the same page, and we’ve gotta find each other and DO SHIT! But instead of saying all that, I think I’ll just go do it.

(note! I’m really conscious of the “us vs. them” tone of this post, but I’m comfortable with it. I have a whole lot more to say about what being “pro-choice” means to me, but that’s not what this post was about. And I also mostly used the terms “pro-choice” and “pro-life” because I don’t believe it’s helpful to throw around hate speech and change what other people want to be called, or something. That’s also a topic for another post.)

Inspired by this post (h/t to feministing) showing a slew of logos from women’s orgs, here is a redesign I did 2 years ago. I just went to this year’s Day of Action, and PPFA still uses the same logo. Here she is:

I redesigned it for graphics class for a few reasons: Aside from the uninspired font for a mesage SO inspired, and the overuse of pink in all of PP’s work – I hate how thin she is. I hate how she has to be wearing heels in order to make a change (even though yes, I wore heels when I lobbied both years). And I don’t really like how she looks like a Bratz doll, with a huge head and weirdly big hands. And so she has a voice and a (lipsticked) mouth, but no eyes? No nose? It’s strange. The only positive thing about her is that she’s not super-white. And I dig her hairdo.

Here’s what I came up with back then:

Click on it for a bigger look (and the color shows up better, too, for some reason).

I don’t mean to crap on anything about Planned Parenthood – an organization I wholeheartedly support and love and respect. But yeah, feminism needs better design.

…that PETA fucking sucks.

via copyranter

It’s just so horribly unsubtle and unoriginal. Aside form being offensive and fucking dumb. Comparing women to animals is not revolutionary or edgy – it’s the status quo.

Sometimes all I can think about is how much this commercial bothers me.
After taking my “fashion and feminism” class, I think this commercial is exactly what is fucked up about the fashion world. Fashion is supposed to be revolutionary and empowering! Without, of course, taking into account anything about production. For some reason, this commercial fills me with rage.

Breaking the spell by indoctrinating you with yet another one.

A lesson about men:

Men are more enamored by their beer than by the women they’re out with. Even those these women seem somewhat beautiful and lovable. Men love their beer, with a clear head, without hesitation. But women? They can’t love them the same way. They just can’t.

Also, notice how in both Miller spots, the women CAN. The woman can initiate this conversation or manage to spit out “you’re my soulmate” without a hint of irony. Because women are so emotional and loving. And men are destined to only love beer. In the Carlsberg spot, it’s really her mistake. Only in her dreams could he love ehr the way he loves that beer. Or something.

Probably NSFW

I am literally in shock

I think Sarah Haskins’ “Target Women” is working. I’ve started noticing more ads like this:

Ads mocking ads! Loves it.

I saw a better one from this campaign, but it’s not on youtube, so this will suffice

There was another one that I can’t think of right now. I think it had a shot of people riding a horse. Anything? I know this post is subpar, sorry.

Here is a great commercial:

Despite the digs at “men who smells like ladies” (ladies who wear perfume? body wash for ladies? so in other words, I don’t smell like a lady) I still laugh every time.

And here’s a crappy attempt at the same idea!

“man sized odor”
TOOLS, GRASS, SPORTS. MEN.

I’m sure most of you have seen this, but I can’t stop thinking about it and I can’t let it go without posting it.

Here’s the original, for the Dodge Charger. First of all, remember “I DRIVE A DODGE STRATUS“? Yeah, same idea. Exact same.

And here’s the best rebuttal ever, despite what “Make The Logo Bigger” has to say about it.

I like playing them at the same time.