There's a new iPhone App for the Tucker Max types who think that hooking up with women is a matter of having the right height of popped collar and tired pick-up line. It's called "Amp Up Before You Score," and it's made by PepsiCo. In short, it gives men pickup lines and strategies to use with a variety of specific types of women (women's studies major, by the way, is a category), and a bulletin board to brag about their "scores." More on this brodude blasphemy:
Hortense, over at Jezebel, had this gem on the topic:
It's going to be so easy to score with AMP energy drink on your breath and a list of incredibly generic "types" in your pocket. All you need is a fresh Ed Hardy shirt and a spritz of Axe body spray and you are good to go! There's a reason why I go after bro culture as often as I do: things like this, which are completely unacceptable and ridiculously offensive. This is a program sponsored by a major corporation that encourages men to look at women as objects to be won, used, and tossed away after a "victory" is obtained, and the more normalized things like this become, the worse off we're all going to be.
Pepsi, perhaps recognizing that they are pissing off a lot of ladies and some enlightened fellas, tweeted this on Tuesday: "We apologize if it's in bad taste & appreciate [your] feedback." Mmm...doesn't feel like much of an effort, does it? Feel free to give the national HQ a call and tell 'em what you think: (914) 253-2000.
In other iSexism, check out this app that assumes tween girls want nothing more than to memorize outfits while watching inane flirting. Ugh.
Thanks to Jesse and Jezebel, and many others, for the heads up.
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OMG! there are 24 different types of ladies?? I thought we could only be 1)virgins or 2)whores.
That's a game for little boys. I hardly think real men have time for this stupid crap... (I hope so anyway)
I have to admit, I think this is pretty cool. If they had one aimed at people who like to "score" with men as well, I'd be OK with.
Do we want to be reinforcing stereotypes about men too?
Or, even better, do we want Pepsi marketers to be reinforcing anything?
On a sidenote, apps like this are basically just adware for stupid products.
I guess what I'm saying is, when you think about it, this is pretty offensive on a lot of levels.
Fair enough. I guess I tend not to take objectification quite as seriously when its done on a gender-neutral basis (which this is NOT...but if it were...I'd be OK). But I am very opposed to soda, so I guess the fact this is promoting pepsi should offend me.
Or, you know, talk to the woman and ask her to tell you about the stuff she's into.
Novel . . I know.
::hand . . . forehead::
What the Fuck?? Do they think men are Stupid?
I dont think this is about negative pereceptions of men, but on the permissiveness about objectifying women to bolster mens ego and identity. Just check out the most obvious mens mags.
So you essentially pretend to be someone you are not, like things you do not, and know a lot about things you do not in order to obtain consent. The fact that this woman is the way she is means nothing, she is simply another vagina that needs to be manipulated into giving ill-informed consent.
Rape culture... there's an App for that.
Ok... so I went back and paused on the list of stereotypes to see what they were... and... did anyone else notice that "married," "cougar," "foreign exchange student," and "military chick" are types to try to score with? And one of the types at the bottom you can't really see has to blond heads poking up. My goodness...
I wonder if they are working on a app to hybrid some of these... but then again I guess all women only fit into one stereotype.
I vaguely remember reading that there are 24 different types of women in the app(?).
Anyways, it's stupid.
Don't forget the "twins" category too...and did anyone notice that right under the heading for "Sorority Girl" the caption reads "this shouldn't be a problem". What a classy little app this is...I'm sure there all sorts of not so subtle gems like these littered throughout this "program".
Don't forget the "twins" category too...and did anyone notice that right under the heading for "Sorority Girl" the caption reads "this shouldn't be a problem". What a classy little app this is...I'm sure there all sorts of not so subtle gems like these littered throughout this "program".
If you need an iphone to get with ladies, then you are terrible at getting with ladies.
Agreed, which only means the iPhone app for inflatable dolls can't be far behind...
I drink a lot of soda. And when I say "a lot," I'm talking at least 6 cans per day. Before I heard about this disgusting corporate promotion, Mountain Dew was one of the sodas I would frequently buy.
After hearing about this app, I have since stopped buying Mountain Dew, or any other Pepsi product. Additionally, I am boycotting Yum Brands, a restaurant venture that is closely associated with Pepsi, and includes Taco Bell, KFC, Pizza Hut, and Long John Silvers. I encourage all of you to do the same. Writing to the corporate office, or calling them to complain, is great, and I applaud anyone who does so, but in the end, we will only be written off with a quick, insincere apology. The only thing corporations understand is money, and if they see that by alienating women, they are losing a substantial marketshare, then they just might quit doing it.
Perhaps it's a bit naive of me to think that my boycott could actually affect anything; however, I refuse to sponsor corporate sexism.
I already don't drink Pepsi as I think it tastes *awful*, but Frito-Lay and Quaker Oats are also owned by PepsiCo. I used the little form to let them know I would no longer be buying them.
A little bit of research muddies the waters a little bit... The "American Family Association," who apparently hate gay people, are also boycotting pepsi, but for the wrong reasons. Among Pepsi's list of offenses:
"PepsiCo requires all employees to attend sexual orientation and gender identity diversity training where they are taught to accept homosexuality."
This, according to AFA, is a bad thing.
My question is, if Pepsi is so forward-thinking as to be pro-homosexual, then why the blatant anti-feminism? It just doesn't add up.
"...hooking up with women is a matter of having the right height of popped collar and tired pick-up line."
No no no, it's the NUMBER of popped collars. http://fashion4nerds.com/uploads/2009/01/4_popped-collars_cool.jpg
Seriously, the previous comment writers have hit it spot-on: this is an app for boys who think that endearing yourself to a woman (or women in general) is a matter of having the right products and the inability to think in anything but derivative and derisive terms.
Instead of "If you're anticipating a successful night..." like it says in the ad, I thought it said "If you're anticipating a successful mount..." until I replayed it a few times and turned the volume up.
I threw up in my mouth a little.
Oh puh-leeze, this is just some marketing manager's attempt at humor & advertising. Its a joke. Its like beer commercials, its meant to be sarcastic, just satire. No one actually thinks guys would use these tired lines & no one would fall for them if they did.
And clearly its worked. Its gotten more play from the outrage directed at it, than it ever could of itself. Why is Feministing helping it sell product? The CEO of PepsiCo is actually a woman.
And women don't pass on misogyny, amirite?
Sure women can pass on misogyny, but Indra Nooyi ain't Phyllis Schlafly. She has a good reputation, and not just among female executives, but from female administrative staff as well...and its a reputation which well preceded her designation as CEO.
It isn't funny, it isn't "edgy", it isn't satirical, it's just plain old sexist, and the PepsiCo CEO being female doesn't change that fact at all.
Yeah, I was pretty creeped out that Married was one of the types listed because dammit, I really hoped that having this ring would allow me tot quickly and painlessly shut down flirtation but no! Now some twerp might just keep trying.
If it was just the types of women and tips on things to talk to them about I would think it was kind of fun, if one-sided since there's nothing with types of dudes to pick up. What creeps me out is that they'd add the Brag function. That's where it moves from funny marketing into kinda gross marketing territory.
Also, by making "Married" its own personality category, aren't they saying that women lose their previous personality when they get married?
I think the grossest one is "Twins". Seriously? As though they were one person, and "her" personality is that there are two of her. WTF?
Pepsi has apparently issued an "apology" via the Amp Energy twitter feed:
"Our app tried 2 show the humorous lengths guys go 2 pick up women. We apologize if it’s in bad taste & appreciate your feedback."
Awesome, a non-apology that avoids admitting any actual fault ("sorry if..."), plus doing absolutely nothing to mitigate the damage or make amends (like, removing the app, maybe). Is it just me or does Apologizing Properly 101 need to be made a mandatory class for kids?
As a sorority girl, I resent the blonde, big-boobed, bare-bellied drawing. I look much more like the treehugger.
Even if it was meant to be satirical, it needs to be more obvious. I'm sure there are guys out there who will try to use this app. Hell, there's a ninja app that does nothing but make ninja sounds. Consumerism at its finest.
As a sorority girl, I resent the blonde, big-boobed, bare-bellied drawing. I look much more like the treehugger.
Even if it was meant to be satirical, it needs to be more obvious. I'm sure there are guys out there who will try to use this app. Hell, there's a ninja app that does nothing but make ninja sounds. Consumerism at its finest.
Typing on iPhone while talking to women: guaranteed fail.
When I view this post, I see a sidebar ad for an online game called "My Wedding Dress", showing a "Miss Bimbo"-esqe cartoon character in lingerie (presumably the game's protagonist). At first I thought it was part of the post, or a joke, but it seems to be a real ad- I guess this proves that the pop-up gods have a sense of humor. Does feministing.com choose which advertisers are featured on the website?