Advertising Is Good For You

Abercrombie & Fitch is mean. And creepy.

Michael Jeffries, CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch, explains why the clothing retailer won't sell XL or larger clothing to men and women:

In every school there are the cool and popular kids, and then there are the not-so-cool kids. Candidly, we go after the cool kids. We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people don’t belong [in our clothes], and they can’t belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely. Those companies that are in trouble are trying to target everybody: young, old, fat, skinny. But then you become totally vanilla. You don’t alienate anybody, but you don’t excite anybody, either. 

This is what Michael Jeffries looks like. I don't dare comment on his looks. He'd probably sue me. Or his plastic surgeon would.

But wait, there's more. 

The Smoking Gun published a list of rules everyone must follow when traveling on Abercrombie & Fitch's corporate jet.

It's hysterical. And more than a little scary.

For example, the male flight attendants are not allowed to button up their shirts. 

Actually, "scary" doesn't cover it. How about creepy?

All the rules come from an Abercrombie & Fitch manual that, according to The Smoking Gun, "was recently filed in U.S. District Court in connection with an age discrimination lawsuit brought against the Ohio-based clothing firm by an ex-pilot."  

And, yes, the rules are for real. Bloomberg News confirms it.

Barbie looks like crap without makeup

Mexican artist Eddi Aguirre has been playing with Barbie.

He imagines what Barbie might look like after a night of heavy partying — before her makeup artist and stylist have done their magic.

Is this sexist?

Or is it so funny that everyone feels included in the joke?

Via Built Brand

Objectifying men isn't the kind of gender equality most women would prefer

This campaign is meant to be tongue-in-cheek (I hope), but I still find it cringe-worthy. 

"Once you go Italian, you'll never go back. Kraft. Let's get zesty."

"The only thing better than dressing is undressing. Kraft. Let's get zesty."

And what's with the word zesty? It's so 1950s. It's the kind of word you use when you want to appeal to people with bland palates. 

Via Ads of the World

How The Guardian presents both sides of an issue

This outdoor campaign is meant to illustrate The Guardian's impartiality. Created by BBH New York. Illustrations by Noma Bar.

Here are both views of the same posters. The first refers to the gun control argument:

 

Women in the military:

 

And Internet privacy:

Via Ads of the World

Bud Light supports marriage equality

Bud light created its own marriage equality sign. 

Surprising but very welcome, IMHO.

Via Bud Light's Facebook page

Aw, c'mon, do you really need to be told not to do this?

Arkansas State Senator Jason Rapert couldn't seem to say RAPE enough times on his Twitter page. Once the Internet pointed out to him that this was a bad idea, he wisely changed his Twitter page background to this.

Via Gawker

NSFW bra commercial from France

Weird.

VERY weird.

Click here to watch the French TV commercial for a push-up bra.

Via Jezebel

BlueStacks creates outrageously insulting icons for its infographic

This infographic from BlueStacks illustrates the average female Mac user.

It's cute and fun. Until you get to the part referring to average ages. Let's look at a close up.

Okay, it's kind of a blurry close up. And I can't fix it because my husband is the Photoshop wiz in our family and he's not here to sharpen the image. But you're smart. You can see what's going on here.

The icon for women aged 51 to 60 years looks like Queen Elizabeth II. It even includes the monarch's ubiquitous handbag. Trouble is, the Queen of England is not 51 to 60, she's 86.

The icon depicting women over 60 looks like England's beloved late Queen Mother. She was 101 years old when she died.

F*ck you and your ageist icons, BlueStacks.

P.S. This is what 50+ looks like. And, yes, I use a Mac.

In light of today's tragedy, this ad wasn't very effective

Saying lots of prayers for the Sandy Hook School community.

 

Funny church sign

St. Stephen's Church is located across the street from the high school in Marblehead, Massachusetts.

ADDENDUM

The message on this sign had already been changed when I drove by it the after I took this photo.

This commercial is sure to offend somebody

This commercial from Kayak illustrates an outrageous breach of medical ethics. That's why it's so damn funny.

Click here to watch Kayak's brain surgery spot.

Sex-y posters by Matthew Heckart

Two posters by Matthew Heckart for the Museum of Sex in New York.

Click here to see more of Matthew Heckart's work.