Monday, September 5, 2011

Marshall's

I recently had the displeasure of viewing a commercial for the discount clothing store Marshall's, where a woman drives a trailer filled with Marshall's clothing looking for women to advertise to.

No big so far.

However, in this particular commercial, the trailer stops at an art viewing. It shows three (?) women looking at an abstract painting (one that I thought was actually pretty cool) with utter confusion. Their facial expressions can even be seen as disgusted. What is this thing and why is it art? they seem to be saying. Far too advanced for a silly ignorant woman to understand.

But wait! Here comes the Marshall's Lady! She understands women, and saves them from such an inappropriate place for us. Who needs intellectual stimulation when you have a trailer filled with fashionable clothes?

Oddly I was thinking about shampoo commercials earlier, and how for the most part, they only show shiny, healthy hair. They show only exactly what the advertised product does. I wish more commercials would do that. Fashionable clothes at a discounted price sounds great. Advertising them at the expense of women....not so great.

I wonder if they teach misogyny in advertising classes. Or if the people who go into advertising just don't realize what they're promoting.

It's amazing how people who make a career out of visionary art can be so blind.

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