I'd Rather He Go Naked . . .
Thursday July 10, 2008
PETA has been criticized over the years for their use of naked or scantily-clad women in their campaigns, such as the "I'd rather go naked than wear fur" campaign, or the Lettuce Ladies who wear bikinis made of vegetables. Now that men like Steve-O and Dennis Rodman have taken it off for "Think Ink not Mink," is it better to use naked men in a campaign?
Vote in the poll in the Forum: "Is it better for PETA to use naked men in their campaigns, than naked women?
Vote in the poll in the Forum: "Is it better for PETA to use naked men in their campaigns, than naked women?
I think either/or are both a little bit much. I personally believe it’s a matter of ’sex sells.’ PETA knows this and has used and over-used this method of advertising and recruiting new activists. Don’t get me wrong, I’m very much FOR animal rights, but I think PETA always goes a bit beyond what’s necessary.
I think that PETA offers equal-opportunity nudity! But in our society, somehow, it just means something different, somehow. Say what you will about PETA, the bottom line is that they are effective.
I think the nude (and c’mon… they aren’t really nude) ad campaigns are no more offensive than any one of a hundred other ad campaigns featuring scantily-clad men and women. I flip through my wife’s fashion magazines and see more skin in the ads than I’d ever see in, say, Maxim. Don’t really understand why this is a big deal.
Disclaimer: I have not seen the ads.
Naked women already get a lot of “air time.” Seeing a man in his birthday suit would certainly generate a lot more attention because of the double standard about “acceptable” nudity.
The human body is beautiful but I think that exploiting it for any cause is wrong. Exploitation is exploitation. Bad enough we see women (and to a lesser extent) men objectified, and portrayed in ways that send horrible messages about our bodies as it is. I do not want my children to get the idea that it is okay to use their bodies to promote agendas, no matter how noble the cause. I’d rather them use their minds.
We had one of those naked lady protests in downtown Reno earlier this year. It was freezing, so I’ll give them credit for commitment. Personally, I don’t find the campaign offensive, but PETA might want to consider the large number of people that do. American society is still pretty repressed about the naked thing, so it might be more effective to design a campaign around clothed people, maybe wearing organic cotton or hemp clothing to illustrate sustainable ways of dressing with no animals involved.
Considering your audience is important. Movies that get banned actually attract more viewers from curiosity seekers and “taboo breakers” and bands tend to increase attendance. Going overboard with shock value can sometimes backfire as “rubber neckers” head lemming-like in pursuit of the very thing you attempt to shock them into not partaking in – just to see or do what is “so bad.”
Hello. And Bye.