Results matching “peta”

Happy Birthday k.d. Lang!

Today k.d. Lang turns 47. I'd say that's a moment in feminist history. k.d. Lang is best known for being an openly lesbian, gender-bending Canadian singer, songwriter and musician. She is also, according to Wikipedia, known for her commitment to animal rights and vegetarianism. See after the jump for her gender-bending and oh-so controversial Vanity Fair cover from 1993, that features Cindy Crawford shaving k.d.'s face with a straight razor. Her activism has also included work on behalf of HIV/AIDS research.

One note: One thing I can't say I love about her activism, although I support her vegetarianism, is her affiliation with PETA, the organization we criticize for their blatantly sexist, racist and overall offensive ads. She did an advertisement with them in 2006. My only hope for k.d. is that their most recent stunts (and advertising) would make her think twice about working with them again.

Nine women were held captive for two months, filmed naked and broadcast on the internet after being told they were going to be on a Big Brother-like reality show.

A former flight attendant remembers 9/11 on Pam's House Blend.

Community poster Brissy Gal brings to light a case in Australia where a 19-year old woman and her boyfriend from Queensland may face up to seven years in prison for taking taking a version of the abortion pill mifepristone.

Non-Shocker of the Day: PETA's new ad takes on multiple offenses at a time.

We're all too familiar with the ridiculously sexist campaigns by PETA and others substituting women's bodies for meat in efforts for public attention, which Ann took on a while back. Well, it looks some folks in the green movement have jumped aboard the "sexualizing women for the sake of activism" bandwagon.

Selling sex to recruit environmentally-friendly dudes isn't actually a new phenomena, but via Sociological Images, a new campaign and website called Angry Green Girl is (not shockingly) getting quite a bit of attention.

Her motto is, "Shamelessly exploiting everything I got to save the world!" and implies on her site that if you go green, you'll get to meet her or one of the girls in her posse. (Or another hot green girl you can find on the social networking section.) Her videos generally consist of her in a bikini, in which the camera constantly does boob and crotch close-up shots as she gives her lesson of the day - like using a bikini-clad staff member as a metaphor for a green world as opposed to her with a coat on due to global warming.

It's pretty offensive to guys too; its premise that men are too stupid or sex-crazed to understand the environment unless references to naked women are made is pretty wack. But sadly, folks like mega blog Treehugger are buying it (and might as well throw a feminist stereotype in there too!):

Angry feminists usually get the eye roll. But what about angry green girls? Seems like they're getting plenty of attention - or at least this particular spokesperson for green issues. Basically, Angry Green Girl knows how to use her hotness for getting attention, but for a good green cause. From hybrid-only bikini car washes to nearly naked shower tips, check out how Angry Green Girl broadens the eco-issue umbrella through her sarcasm-laden eco-tips. Water issues have never looked quite like this.

As Treehugger notes, there's a layer of sarcasm by Angry Green Girl which would probably have defenders saying it's "all in good fun," but the thing is that the layer is thin enough to expose what the real purpose is here: an attempt to convince straight guys that going green will get them laid. And that's just gross.

Josh Phillips and Rachel Griffin make one heck of a team. The pair met at Central Michigan University, where they were both members of Sexual Aggression Peer Advocates, CMU's sexual assault education and prevention group. Today, they're taking the mission of that group off campus and all over the country.

Dr. Griffin is an Assistant Professor of Speech Communication at Southern Illinois University. Griffin's written works, including her doctoral dissertation, address the intersection of gender and race.

Phillips is the founder of East Coast Walkers, a group of CMU students who, in the summer of 2008, walked from Miami to Boston to raise awareness about sexual violence. His book about the experience, 1800 Miles, comes out this fall. The Walkers blogged about their trek along the way, and one entry, written from South Carolina, filled me with hope:

"Something remarkable keeps happen on this trip: our restaurant bills disappear. We will stop in a small mom and pop diner, the waitress will undoubtedly inquire what we are doing, and an eavesdropping patron will sneakily pay our tab as we devour whatever food is on the table. It must be magic..."

It's not magic, but something better: it's a sign that Phillips, Griffin and the East Coast Walkers are not alone in wishing and working for an end to sexual violence.

Phillips and Griffin regularly team up to speak about sexual violence, and to teach workshops on awareness and prevention. Their team approach works well, Griffin says, because when they're addressing a crowd on the topic of sexual violence, "there are people who can hear Josh who can't hear me and vice versa."

And now, without further ado, the inaugural Feministing Five, with Rachel Griffin and Josh Phillips.

I know I shouldn't be surprised by PETA's latest billboard campaign in Florida - after all, their brand of activism has proven to be sexist and racist time and time again - why not fat-shaming to boot? (Part of me hates posting this at all because it does just give PETA the attention that they want. But I just had to.)

From PETA's press release on the billboard:

A new PETA billboard campaign that was just launched in Jacksonville reminds people who are struggling to lose weight -- and who want to have enough energy to chase a beach ball -- that going vegetarian can be an effective way to shed those extra pounds that keep them from looking good in a bikini. The ad shows a woman whose "blubber" is spilling over the sides of her swimsuit bottom...

Anyone wishing to achieve a hot "beach bod" is reminded that studies show that vegetarians are, on average, about 10 to 20 pounds lighter than meat-eaters...

"Trying to hide your thunder thighs and balloon belly is no day at the beach," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. (Emphasis mine)

Seriously? This shit is just shameful. Consider this woman's reaction after seeing the billboard:

I was planning on taking [my family] to the beach to enjoy the beautiful day when I saw a billboard that made me want to cry.

...We all sat there and stared at it for a minute and everyone in the car was silent. No one wanted to mention my weight. I laughed it off as usual, but it really had made me so embarrassed, so self conscious and so ashamed about my weight that I dropped off my family at the oceanfront and left to go home, making the excuse that I wasn't feeling well.

I'm with Holly at Deceiver: PETA owes the residents of Jacksonville a serious apology.

Related posts: Sometimes there are no words
Quick Hit: PETA's Ad Banned from the Super Bowl
PETA: Cause objectifying women never gets old
When you thought PETA couldn't get worse.
PETA does it again
Same old shit from PETA

Your Friday feel good cute cartoon for the day.

Check out Jaclyn's new column at Amplify Your Voice.

On Tyler Perry's Gender Problem at The Nation by Courtney Young.

The Onion takes PETA to task.

The long awaited trailer for Chris Rock's documentary, "Good Hair," via Wiretap Magazine.

A law has passed in Afghanistan that allows a husband to deny his wife food, if she denies him sex.

Have a great weekend folks!

You know, it's bad enough that PETA puts out the sexist crap that it does - but does HuffPo really need to support it?

Related posts: Sometimes there are no words
Quick Hit: PETA's Ad Banned from the Super Bowl
PETA: Cause objectifying women never gets old
When you thought PETA couldn't get worse.
PETA does it again
Same old shit from PETA

Yes, we love you, dear readers! But rather than endorse all the gendered trappings of this holiday -- i.e. chocolates (Sarah Haskins does a good job pointing out the gendered creepiness here, and exploitation of workers, too), flowers (often bad for the environment and for workers), or jewelry (see Haskins again) -- this Valentine's day, here are some action suggestions:

• via Cara, there's a campaign afoot to get CVS to unlock the condoms at all of its stores. (An issue we've written about before.) The condom lock-down is bad news, especially because apparently condom sales are up during the recession. Take action here.
• Yolanda Pierce suggests making a donation to New Orleans charity Labor of Love: "It is a grass-roots, multi-media, public awareness campaign with the goal of mobilizing thousands of volunteers to participate in reconstructing the city."
• Send a donation to Roberta Busby, the woman who was set on fire outside the strip club where she worked, and is currently in critical condition.
• In Delhi, protests are scheduled against the "morality police." Ultra Violet has more on other upcoming protests.
• Our events calendar features some local Vagina Monologues performances in the coming days. Search for V-Day events in your area!

And, um, notice PETA's recommended V-Day action does not make the list...

PETA manages to outdo itself. Un-fucking-believable.

Related: Quick Hit: PETA's Ad Banned from the Super Bowl
PETA: Cause objectifying women never gets old
When you thought PETA couldn't get worse.
PETA does it again
Same old shit from PETA

PETA's incredibly ridiculous ad trying to convince all those hot wing munchers to convert to vegetarianism during the Super Bowl has been rejected. Shocker. It contains thin white woman prancing around in their underwear rubbing vegetables all over their perfectly toned bodies. I'm not even going to post the video, cause it's, well, inane. Suffice it to say that, once again, PETA proves it has no notion of intersectional exploitation.

Thanks to all the readers who let us know. Why can't PETA spend some of that money hiring community blogger lorenc to talk about his actual experience being a dude vegetarian? See his smart post below.

And other community posters take:
Peta's New Strategy
Peta Denied Commercial Airtime

It's nice to see PETA changing up their marketing strategy. Oh, wait...

Thanks to miss.meshuganer for the link!

We rejected smears and race-baiting and Muslim-baiting and desperation. We rejected so much history and so many rules that have bound us to the way things have been and are supposed to be. We rejected fear. Most importantly, we rejected fear.

Despite the beliefs of certain cable-news talking heads, white privilege is, uh, still around.

Latoya rounds up some good links on the Prop 8 fallout.

New Hampshire just became the first state to have a majority of women in the legislature!

Veronica Arreola on Larry Summers topping the short-list for Treasury secretary under Obama. (Jill has more.)

Eliot Spitzer escapes prosecution for his involvement in a prostitution ring. (More thoughts from Bianca on the community blog, and from Figleaf.)

Echidne makes the case for why First Lady should be a paid job. Gina at Michelle Obama Watch has some related thoughts, and Dana also adds her two cents.

A voting-rights movement for the mentally ill is gaining ground.

One man's experience with taking his wife's last name. (via Renee)

Well-known anti-immigrant Sheriff (and all-around asshole) Joe Arpaio caused an incarcerated woman to lose her baby.

I'm sure you remember the epically sexist Rose Petal Cottage commercial. About five minutes ago, during a commercial break from Heroes (yes, I like the show) the ad comes on again. I'm already pissed, thinking that this stupid commercial should have been complained off the air months ago. Then something incredible happens. At the end of the standard ad (above) a quick promo for Hasbro's latest disaster, the Sweet Lily Castle, is tacked onto the end.

I can't remember what it said word-for-word, but I swear the last sentence was about letting her have a place where she "can wait for her prince." Seriously. I mean, the frigging castle even comes with a frog to kiss. I think I need to go to bed early tonight. Sigh.

MJ: One question I did have. I really do appreciate the work PETA has done but it has gotten a lot of criticism for using women in some of its ads. A lot of times in bikinis, or scantily clad, I think there was a striptease campaign that came online recently. What do you say to people who criticize PETA and say that it's not women-friendly, that it denigrates women?

IN: Well, it's rubbish because the organization is run by a woman, who is me. I marched in the earliest of rallies, I am an adamant feminist, but I'm not a prude and I think you can go to the beach and see people who are in less than you can in a PETA ad. Our people are all volunteers, no one has asked a woman to take off her clothes. I've done it myself, we've all marched naked if we want to, and I think that it's very restrictive and in fact wrong. I would expect someone in, say, Iran to tell us that we should cover up, but I don't expect women or men in this country to criticize women who wish to use their bodies in a form of political statement, to tell them, you need to cover yourself up. There's this idea of 'naughty bits' and I just think it's funny more than anything else. It's not sexist, it may be sexual, but no. No woman has ever been paid to strip. She has decided to use her body as a political instrument. That's her prerogative and I think it is anti-feminist to dare to tell her that she needs to put her clothes back on.

This one you have to just read to believe. Seriously.

That's right. On the PETA website, a schoolgirl-outfitted woman strips herself down topless in undies as you answer the ABC Striptease Quiz on animal birth control. The intro says:

Hi, I'm Amber, and today, we're going to be going over our ABCs. Here's your first lesson: "ABC" stands for "animal birth control," but it can also stand for "Amber's bored with clothes" if you have the brainpower to answer these 10 quiz questions correctly.

There's nothing that gets me hotter than an intelligent person who's also compassionate, so let's see if we can't get me hot enough to remove a few pesky items of clothing--if you're up to the challenge, that is ...

As regular readers know, this is not the first of PETA's offensive actions. But this is straight up soft porn for your ass. Contact PETA and let them know that their sexist (and recently racist) asshattery is severely played out.

h/t to all the readers who alerted us to this!

Ann mentioned this in her last PETA WTF? post, but I decided it needed more attention.

Just when you think PETA couldn't get any worse, they take their ad campaigns to another level.

Apparently PETA is petitioning to buy ad space on the fences that are being constructed along the US/Mexico border to display these racist and offensive ads. From PETA:

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals plans today to announce an unusual marketing pitch to the U.S. government: Rent us space on the fence for billboards warning illegal border crossers there is more to fear than the Border Patrol.

The billboards [pictured], in English and Spanish, would offer the caution: "If the Border Patrol Doesn't Get You, the Chicken and Burgers Will -- Go Vegan."

"We think that Mexicans and other immigrants should be warned if they cross into the U.S. they are putting their health at risk by leaving behind a healthier, staple diet of corn tortillas, beans, rice, fruits and vegetables," said Lindsay Rajt, assistant manager of PETA's vegan campaigns.

We already know they could use some help when it comes to objectifying women. But apparently they also need a serious race and class analysis check over at PETA. Stat. Without even getting into what's fucked up about the message they are trying to send about meat consumption and mexican vs american culture, let's begin with the images on the ad, which are borderline racist and definitely offensive to me. Then how about supporting the screwed up US immigration policy by BUYING ad space on these fences?

News flash PETA: promoting animal rights through misogyny, racism and the objectification of women is NOT the way to go.

Thanks to Cesarina for the link

via Renee comes the latest PETA nekkid-lady ad, featuring U.S. Olympic swimmer Amanda Beard:

The argument against this ad is not that Amanda Beard is being exploited. The issue here is that once again PETA is employing the tired old tactic of using a conventionally beautiful woman with conventionally "perfect" body, posed naked or nearly naked, to call for animal rights. But the thing I hate most about this particular PETA propaganda is that it takes what should be a message of empowerment, Love-Your-Body-style, and turns it into yet another affirmation of the female ideal. As Renee puts it, "It seems that they respect the rights of animals far more than they respect women. Consider that they don't use images of male nudes, nor do they use images of women with varying body sizes."

As you'll recall, PETA has defended this advertising strategy with the weak response that "sex sells." It's an excuse I expect from Axe and Maxim, but not from a movement that is supposedly about justice.

Oh, and we're not done yet! From Debbie at Bitch (via Vegans of Color) comes the horrifying news that PETA now wants to advertise on the border fence between the U.S. and Mexico.

While many view the contentious border fence as a government fiasco, an animal rights group sees a rare opportunity.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals plans today to announce an unusual marketing pitch to the U.S. government: Rent us space on the fence for billboards warning illegal border crossers there is more to fear than the Border Patrol.

The billboards, in English and Spanish, would offer the caution: "If the Border Patrol Doesn't Get You, the Chicken and Burgers Will -- Go Vegan."

WTF?! I have no words. This is so fucked-up, even for PETA.

Babble has a great post of The 15 Most Sexist Daytime TV Commercials. It has old ones and new ones, but this one, which we posted on last year, is by far my favorite:

Ah, the Rose Petal Cottage. Because it's never too early to start indoctrinating girls about how their "dreams have room to grow" - all the way to the washer/dryer.