I sent this parody of the notoriously horrific and degrading porno video "Two Girls, One Cup" to a beloved guy friend earlier this week and he wrote back that he thought it was meant to be a joke. Which, yes, it is. But that doesn't mean it's a good one.
My response to him: I'm sort of sick of people thinking they're making a joke while using all of the same antiquated conventions of the thing they're making fun of, i.e. objectifying women, promoting perfectionist body standards, fetishistizing blondes and Asians, making a mockery of actual female sexuality etc. etc. etc.
It's not funny. It's like white people making fun of racism by peddling in racist stereotypes.
His response: I hear you.
Little feminist education of the day, done. (brushing hands together)
Thanks to Frisky for the heads up.
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that is the most disgusting video ever. i almost threw up a little.
Ugh - sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, and sometimes a baguette is just a baguette. Why are advertisers so obsessed with finding phallic imagery just so that they can push the "sex sells line" on totally inappropriate products?
Why must almost every single vaguely tubular object be sold to me with a heaping helping of not-so-subtle racism and misogyny?
I'd really hate to see their ad campaigns for batteries, marker pens, or even toothbrushes...
Oh, and on a side note, I've observed an interesting trend in American food advertising. Foods which women aren't supposed to eat since they are considered "naughty" seem to be increasingly advertised by women selling these foods to heterosexual men on the premise that they (the women) are somehow sexually kinky/dirty for enjoying these "naughty" foods. So we have women faking fake "naughtiness" in order to fake fake eroticism.
I'm not sure how much sense I'm making, but I think it really shows how screwed up some of our attitudes to food and sex are.
I think you're right on track. Come to think of it, I've never seen a pointlessly sexual food commercial that was geared toward women, and people usually write that off as "women don't want sex, so advertisers don't sell sex to women" when the analysis needs to be deeper than that. As you said, the foods that have the sleaziest commercials tend to be foods women are not supposed to eat. I mean, I doubt Yoplait would have an ad in which a woman in a bikini spills vanilla yogurt all over boobs.
The recently mentioned Fling chocolate finger is sexual and geared toward women.
Yes, but it's still chocolate/candy and therefore in the class of things that women aren't supposed to eat.
I think that Fling and it's ilk are in a separate category: "imagined naughtiness". I interpreted Fling's marketing campaign as "imagine you are eating all those dirty, naughty, calorie-laden boy foods, when really this is a nice, safe girl food with x amount of calories".
Exactly - because thanks to Sarah Haskins, we all know that yoghurt is a "girl food".
Oh yes, her Target Women: Yogurt was one of my favorites :)
ew ew ew ew ew ew ew
I need to go clean my eyes off now.
So, Quizno's doesn't want my business... Good to know.
Ugh.
I personally hate the response "I hear you". It tend to interpret this as I hear you physically, but I'm not taking a blind bit of notice of what you say. But then I'm British, maybe it is different in America?
lol, I guess it's an American phrase. It's something along the line of, "I totally understand what you mean."
Is this actually a Quizno's commercial or was it just made by some group who likes making youtube hits?
Upon fast-forwarding this video to the end (I can't watch it all, makes me feel ill), it seems that this was made by Playboy. There isn't any Quizno's logo at the end, which makes me wonder even more if Quizno's had anything to do with it.
Their veggie sub is delicious, so I gotta know for sure before I boycott.
haha, I can understand that. The bag is Quizno's though. I took that to mean they had something to do with it, even if that something was just a nod to go ahead.
Googling for 'Quizno's' and '2 girls 1 sub' brings up hits that suggests that the ad is, uh, legitimate, by which I mean, not something done without Quizno's permission.
Aaargh, that sucks. I love those veggie subs. :(
All the Quizno's where I grew up were owned by a super-conservative guy who got some backlash from a few customers when he refused to stop playing Christian rock in all the stores. I can't imagine this ad ever running there.
Are they trying to be more like Carl's Jr. or what?
Should i do a (sexually transmitted) virus check on my computer after watching that? I am especially disgusted by the sexual moaning and the strategically placed mayo on the lips to simulate ejaculate.
I have just ruined my day :(
The mayo falling between the blonde woman's breasts was what got me.
What jackass came up with the idea of pretending a sandwich is a penis? Since the sandwich was literally ejaculating all over the women, doesn't that mean that the dudes who would potentially be swayed to buy Quiznos by this commercial are all GAY???? If they're eating PENISES?? Sexist logic escapes me.
The sad thing is that this ad would probably work on a lot of guys. As long as that is just a joke and not a real quiznos ad, I can deal.
If it's an actual ad, well then f-you quiznos. I really hate it when ads use sex to sell products that really shouldn't be sexualized.
I guess the "put it in me" ad was too subtle?
I wasn't sure if I was just hearing things when I saw that ad or if the oven actually said that. That commercial really bothers me too.
I really thought that commercial would be history and pronto because it struck me as so very homoerotic. Which, for the record, I thought was hysterical on one hand and peculiarly progressive on the other.
I guess I underestimated how deliberately blind some people can be, since it's still going strong here in a SoCal market that includes conservative Orange county and the even more conservative Inland Empire.
Let's just hope SWAPwich.avi never sees the light of day.
Oh god, I second this.
"It's like white people making fun of racism by peddling in racist stereotypes."
I'm going to try to remember this the next time I hear "what's your problem. It's just a joke"
thank you.
from comments alone, I'm not going to watch that commercial, but I'm curious who the agency is.
maybe. the makes of this ad may be women
I think Quizno's says they have nothing to do with it, but I'm sure they're rooting for it, since everyone is talking about it
http://www.adrants.com/2009/05/quiznos-gets-its-carls-jr-on-with-2.php
"The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about." -- Stephen Fry as Oscar Wilde, or was that Graham Chapman?
That was disgusting. On so many levels. I can't even put my disgust into words at the moment.
I'm Asian and I say, fuck these assholes. I already have to deal with shit like this all the time- we're either stereotyped as the nerdy girls men don't want to date or pressured to be hypersexual and tailored to the T&A culture in order to prove that we can become assimilated and "American." There is no medium. I can happily say I have never and never WILL eat there.
I can't believe that ad is nearly 2 minutes long. I could only watch about 40 seconds and they seemed to stretch out forever.
I would like to do research into how much Quiznos is behind this, too, before I encourage every single person I know to sop giving them business.
Also: Is there a way for someone to tell me (so that I do NOT have to Google it myself) enough about the porn movie it is sending up so that I understand?
Thanks!
I've never seen the video out of principle, but it gets talked about A LOT. Apparently there are two girls, one cup, and the cup is filled with human waste. I really don't want to get any more specific than that.
"Also: Is there a way for someone to tell me (so that I do NOT have to Google it myself) enough about the porn movie it is sending up so that I understand?"
If you have to ask, you probably DON'T want to know...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2_Girls_1_Cup
Wow. This made me queasier than the actual 2 Girls 1 Cup video. Vom, vom, vom.
My head is spinning - is someone trying to sell or make erotic a *food* product by comparing it to 2 girls, 1 cup? Who thought *that* was a good idea?
This ad - whether real or spoof - is just nasty.
That's what I was wondering. Because 2 girls 1 cup just makes me not hungry. I was under the impression that food is supposed to be appetizing?
I'm shocked and I'm NOT easily shocked. I can't imagine a corporate advertiser linking themselves to the incredibly degrading vid that 2g1c was. I can't believe it. I don't believe it. I won't believe it.
Someone. PLEASE...tell me this isn't legit.
Please.
I'm going against the grain a little bit here, but it didn't seem all that bad to me. Granted, I don't watch porno and haven't seen the 2 girls 1 cup video, so I'm seeing sandwich eating before I see the connection to fellatio. (And yes, I definitely have a problem with fetishizing Asians and blond women, too.)
But as I watched it, part of me was just really impressed with seeing two young women with unapologetically healthy appetites. If you take away the bathing suits, the porn music and the breathy giggling, it's not unlike how I attack my Jimmy Johns when I'm hungry.
The sandwich is a phallic symbol, and it's not the sandwich they're devouring. You'll never see a commercial where two women in their sweats devour pizza slices. You can't just ignore the moaning and bikinis and sexual imagery.
I get that a sub is a phallic symbol. However, that they're biting off chunks of it makes it seem a bit less symbolic to me. And again, I tend to moan in appreciation when I have a good Jimmy Johns. Not orgasmically, though. It looked to me like these women were, up to a point, eating like normal people who are really enjoying their food. You're right that the sexual imagery can't be ignored, but I'm not finding it all that sexual. Of course, if you and others are, you have every right to feel strongly about it. But I read the comments before I watched the video and was really shocked at how tame it seemed based on the comments.
it's called two girls one sub, so if you know what two girls one cup is about, you know why this is degrading as an ad. The sub is replacing human FECES in this video, not a sexual organ.
I'm seriously doubt this involved quizno's in any way. I have worked there and I seriously doubt a company that forces its employees to listen to MUSZAC all day would be behind this. Though, as noted above, the commercials with the oven are beyond double -entendre.
Though I have to ask:
Are the people who are saying 2G1C is degrading think all porn is inherently degrading? B/C I have seen comments on here that suggest some commenters are okay with some porn (feminist porn awards, etc.). I am asking b/c I wonder if 2G1C is being singled out b/c it deals with people eating human waste? Some people are into that so why demonize that particualr fetish?So I wonder if there are people who feel 2G1C is degrading b/c of the fetish involved, but are okay with some other forms types of porn? I do not mean to sound accusatory are challenge those that feel all porn is degrading( an argument fr which I can see a lot of validity), but whenever people attack a porno or particualr sex act that involves something seen as "abnormal", I have to wonder if they have a problem with all porn or with particular sex acts.
That is exactly what I was thinking in regards to the ideas that the 2g1c video is inherently horrific and degrading.
for some consenting adults degrading can be fun (and safe) in the bedroom, but bringing it into an ad (for something completely unrelated to sex) is not ok.
And yes, it is ESPECIALLY not ok because of the degrading aspect of it. Because being degraded by CHOICE in the bedroom for FUN and PLEASURE is different from being degraded as a whole demographic in an ad, without your consent or control.
Here's the response I got from their marketing department:
Thank you for sending your feedback to Quiznos. Quiznos had nothing to do with the production of this viral video and did not authorize its creation. Quiznos remains committed to providing its customers with high-quality ingredients at low prices, all with excellent service, and we would like to encourage you to continue to visit our restaurants. Once again, thank you for taking the time to contact us.
Quiznos Guest Relations
Oh, Thank goodness. Their sandwiches are so damn delicious.
I'm seriously doubt this involved quizno's in any way. I have worked there and I seriously doubt a company that forces its employees to listen to MUSZAC all day would be behind this. Though, as noted above, the commercials with the oven are beyond double -entendre.
Though I have to ask:
Are the people who are saying 2G1C is degrading think all porn is inherently degrading? B/C I have seen comments on here that suggest some commenters are okay with some porn (feminist porn awards, etc.). I am asking b/c I wonder if 2G1C is being singled out b/c it deals with people eating human waste? Some people are into that so why demonize that particualr fetish?So I wonder if there are people who feel 2G1C is degrading b/c of the fetish involved, but are okay with some other forms types of porn? I do not mean to sound accusatory are challenge those that feel all porn is degrading( an argument fr which I can see a lot of validity), but whenever people attack a porno or particualr sex act that involves something seen as "abnormal", I have to wonder if they have a problem with all porn or with particular sex acts.
I'm seriously doubt this involved quizno's in any way. I have worked there and I seriously doubt a company that forces its employees to listen to MUSZAC all day would be behind this. Though, as noted above, the commercials with the oven are beyond double -entendre.
Though I have to ask:
Are the people who are saying 2G1C is degrading think all porn is inherently degrading? B/C I have seen comments on here that suggest some commenters are okay with some porn (feminist porn awards, etc.). I am asking b/c I wonder if 2G1C is being singled out b/c it deals with people eating human waste? Some people are into that so why demonize that particualr fetish?So I wonder if there are people who feel 2G1C is degrading b/c of the fetish involved, but are okay with some other forms types of porn? I do not mean to sound accusatory are challenge those that feel all porn is degrading( an argument fr which I can see a lot of validity), but whenever people attack a porno or particualr sex act that involves something seen as "abnormal", I have to wonder if they have a problem with all porn or with particular sex acts.
I know I might get blasted for this in a big way, but I was kind of giggling the whole way through. It seems more like a parody of sexualized food than actual sexualized food; it's over the top ridiculous. The playboy bunny at the end made me rethink this, but I was wondering if anyone else had the same reaction. That being said, I don't want to trample over anyone else's experience; if you're offended, you're offended, and I can certainly understand why.
ALSO, I understand that this is the wrong ad to launch this discussion off of, but I don't quite know what other forum to do so in - please keep in mind that I understand the problems of fetishizing the female body, especially in this advertisement, and how that's problematic. But some of the comments really put me in mind of a great article by sociological (link below) where she deconstructed people of color in advertisements. The vast majority of her points I agreed with, but I have trouble understanding the concept of aesthetic assimilation when it comes to people or women of color in advertisements. There seems to be a negative response towards including women of color dressed in the same clothes or doing the same thing as white women (please stop me if I'm oversimplifying), but I'm not sure I can come up with a good alternative; to either mark women of color by putting them in different clothes or attributing different aspects to them (the bonsai tree and "big bush" of that terrible mow-the-lawn shaving ad come to mind) or to not include them AT ALL seem like even worse alternatives.
As I said before, I feel uncomfortable introducing this with this particular advertisement as a platform - I know it seems like I'm on the side of Quiznos here, and I don't think I am. And it's problematic using this as an example as well - I don't want to ask what the "correct" way to portray the Asian model would be, seeing as the commercial in and of itself is offensive. But I really feel like I'm missing something. In general, is there any way to portray women of color in advertising without assimilating or marking?
http://contexts.org/socimages/2008/12/06/how-and-why-people-of-color-are-included-in-advertising-6th-in-a-series/
Apologies for the thread-jack and for my own ignorance, just trying to get a better handle on this concept.
"But I really feel like I'm missing something. In general, is there any way to portray women of color in advertising without assimilating or marking?"
Yes.
Treat us like human beings.
That is to say, treat us the way "human beings" are constructed for and coded for in the West: individuals with individual needs, agency, and voice to express them, who encounter obstacles and puzzles along the way and who surmount or master them (in ads, with the help of X brand's handy dandy product).
The answer is not to represent us in the worst, most reprehensible ways European-ancestry people can be (see Quizno's , above). We don't want to prove our equality that way.
I am not a reader of the Sociological blog, but I skimmed the link you gave me. I understand the impetus behind the poster's analysis, and I'm sure you noted thus comment she made in the comment sections: "And, frankly, if I decide that there is NO WAY to fairly represent people of color, I don’t think that that means my analysis is wrong or pointless." Her point, I believe, is that in an inherently racist society, there is no way to create non-racist ads as a corrective. Interesting and potentially fair point, no?
But my response to her remains the same: short of removing non-Europeans from visibility in advertising and media (which we can most all agree is not an option), the answer is to portray non-Europeans the way the best ads treat Europeans: as individuals (not representatives of a group), as agents and subjects (not as sidekicks and objects), who solve problems, express opinions, and go about their daily lives in ways that prod subsconscious race essentialists into seeing us as "human beings" as opposed to "people of color with a relationship to the [European, male] Human Beings."
I recall a recent commercial in the U.S. in which an East Asian-ancestry woman is trying out a new window cleaner and interacting with a humorous voice-over instructing her on the benefits of Cleaner A over Cleaner B.
I thought it was a good ad because:
-she was alone, not a sidekick
- she was solving a problem on her own, making her own decisions (with help from the handy voice-over man)
- she was not presented as married, mothered, or otherwise linked to the "traditional" reproductive purvue of women
- She was not of aneathnicity that most mainland Americans would stereotype with cleaning/domestic labor/professional housekeeping anyway (that is to say, she was East Asian rather than Chicana, Central American, or Filipina).
- her person was not "othered" and her "East Asianness" (whatver the hell that is) was neither played up nor played down. She wore North American/Western casual clothes (not a kimono, say), but she was recognizably East Asian in phenotype (not the usual European-East Asian ancestry we see in Hollywood a lot).
-she was engaged in an everyday activity all people living in urban/suburban West engage in
All of these things (individualism, agency not limited to reproduction), in the West, have constituted humanity. That's why European men have been the default Human in the West for millenia. Now, we can certainly make a case for why that should NOT be the construction of "human" (i.e. human can mean reproductive, communal, etc.), but if we are playing within the "box" of Western construction, non-European ancestry people need a shot at playing within that box, too.
Now, if we can only get cleaning product companies to conceive of domestic labor as equally a man's "natural" domain, we'll be getting somewhere.
There's a cleaning brand here called "Mr. Muscle", and I recall there being some ads where a muscular guy in a white-t is doing all the cleaning for the wife, representing the cleaning power of the liquid in the spray bottle. Not quite what you mean, but I think a nudge in the right direction. It was the 80s though, I don't know if they'd make that ad these days.
HAHAHA Their sandwich is taking the place of the crap in the original vid.. so funny.
That would be a great marketing campaign. "Our sandwich is shit! You'll eat it, and you'll like it!"
Wait... so you guys don't sit around in bikinis and wedge heels with your best friend in an unnecessarily white space eating sandwiches and having orgasms because you're eating sandwiches?
:)
Well duhh! Yea...of COURSE we do, but thats not the point!
I'm pretty sure that the makers of this internet video chose a Quiznos' bag because their real commercial ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LQpRQh2KSQ ) plays upon the sandwich as a phallic object to the millionth degree. I can understand if the people swearing off Quiznos want to be mad about that ad of course, especially if sexual harassment in the workplace hits close to home, or you just hate 2001: A Space Odyssey. I happen to think that they handled it pretty well by advertising industry standards.
I'm not sure that it was a good joke, but I did see the possibility that it was making fun of, even slamming, the absurd behaviors depicted as typifying the nonexistent "everywoman" in the porno industry, in addition to derogating the truly silly sexualization by the advertising industry of "everyproduct" -ranging from deodorant to tractor tires- that will get you "the hot sex"... Think Paris Hilton's car washing (whilst eating a hamburger) scene?
You brauds need to relax and have a sense of humor.
What's a "braud"?
Comment deleted.
Troll banned all!