September 19, 1997 · Cavalier Daily

Objectionable Ad

This letter to the editor objects to an advertisement placed in a previous Cavalier Daily issue, depicting a woman in underwear with the caption "The matte seamless Wonderbra ensemble invited the drooling frat boy to keep dreaming." The author of the letter asserts that this ad is sexist and that its objectification of women may contribute to the problem of sexual assault.

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1997-09-19 Cavalier Daily Objectionable Ad.pdf

Subject	College student newspapers and periodicals Rape--Public opinion Mass media Anti-rape movement
Creator	Maria K. Pulzetti
Source	Cavalier Daily
Publisher	Cavalier Daily
Date	1997-09-19

Text	Objectionable Ad I am writing in regard to the advertising insert "Beyond the Wall" in The Cavalier Daily on Sept. 17. "Beyond the Wall" sells posters of advertisements; the subtitle of the catalog is "Ads as Art." When I opened the catalog, the first image I saw was a woman dressed only in a bra, underwear and high- heeled shoes a - Wonderbra advertisement. The conclusion of the text in the ad read, "The matte seamless Wonderbra ensemble invited the drooling frat boy to keep dreaming." This advertisement and its inclusion in this paper disturbs me greatly. Obviously aimed toward college students, the ad presents a highly objectionable image of gender. The woman is model-thin and undressed, whereas the description "drooling frat boy" also does not accurately describe the majority of men in the greek system. The most disturbing aspect of the ad, however, is the statement that a certain type of bra "invites" the fraternity boy to "dream." The implication is that a woman's appearance can be an invitation for sex. The objectification of women as sex objects can lead to problems with sexual assault; when men see women only as sex objects, as in this ad, they may also perceive that they have the right to take advantage of a woman's sexual availability. We have a serious problem with sexual assault at the University, and many people work very hard to educate our community about sexual assault. Their work is undermined, however, when images of women as sex objects flood the University. I urge this newspaper to seriously consider the message it sends by including advertisements such as that. Maria K. Pulzetti CLAS III

Text

Objectionable Ad
I am writing in regard to the advertising insert "Beyond the Wall" in The Cavalier Daily on Sept. 17. "Beyond the Wall" sells posters of advertisements; the subtitle of the catalog is "Ads as Art."
When I opened the catalog, the first image I saw was a woman dressed only in a bra, underwear and high- heeled shoes a - Wonderbra advertisement. The conclusion of the text in the ad read, "The matte seamless Wonderbra ensemble invited the drooling frat boy to keep dreaming."
This advertisement and its inclusion in this paper disturbs me greatly. Obviously aimed toward college students, the ad presents a highly objectionable image of gender. The woman is model-thin and undressed, whereas the description "drooling frat boy" also does not accurately describe the majority of men in the greek system. The most disturbing aspect of the ad, however, is the statement that a certain type of bra "invites" the fraternity boy to "dream." The implication is that a woman's appearance can be an invitation for sex. The objectification of women as sex objects can lead to problems with sexual assault; when men see women only as sex objects, as in this ad, they may also perceive that they have the right to take advantage of a woman's sexual availability. We have a serious problem with sexual assault at the University, and many people work very hard to educate our community about sexual assault. Their work is undermined, however, when images of women as sex objects flood the University. I urge this newspaper to seriously consider the message it sends by including advertisements such as that.
Maria K. Pulzetti
CLAS III

Tags	student publications
Date Added	June 23, 2016
Date Modifed	December 23, 2017
Collection	Cavalier Daily: articles about gender discrimination

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