Anastasia Smith: 24, sisterless and searching.
HOW ABOUT I START this off with my thoughts: BLECH! If you’re having trouble reading the fine print here it says, “Fill your desire for something long, juicy and flame-grilled with the NEW BK SUPER SEVEN INCHER.” No subtlety required. It makes some of the retro ads we were up in arms over look kind of tame, doesn’t it? (P.S.–Deconstructing Tampax’s new “Zack wakes up with a vagina” ad campaign on Feministing.)
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I HAD A MOBILE of paper cranes like this, and loved it.
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{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
Absolutely repulsive. BK seems to be honing in on a VERY small (and small-minded) populace.
I don’t really see the problem. I guess it is interesting that she seems to surprised to see such a long sandwich moving toward her mouth independently of any hands, but other than that, what’s the problem? Is it her slutty makeup or something?
Gross.
I…I’m not even sure what to say. How g.d. awful.
It does kind of remind me of the ads that Carol Adams showed when she did her presentation at Guilford, even though those usually focused on ads that equated women with meat.
Well, BK isnt exactly trying to appeal to the most “evolved” group of people ever, so I’m not really surprised.
@Keith: Small-minded is certainly right. I hope, for our sake, that it’s small.
Welcome Tom C., if I didn’t know you any better I’d think you were SERIOUS! (nervous laugh). I would say that the sandwich moving toward her without any hands portrays her as a puppet more than anything else.
And hello Susan aka Miss R, Welcome! – well said, indeed.
@Danielle: I didn’t think of that off the bat, but it’s a good comparison to Carol Adams. She’d definitely (and probably does) have some cutting words on this ad.
@Arielle: So true (just like Keith said above). But I wish it wasn’t so…
ALSO: link to feministing post is now fixed (sorry for the dead link before)
Burger King should be ashamed. Who runs that place, not a woman!!!
And BK wonders why they are losing market share… If I’m out with my kids looking for fast food do I think of Happy meals and iced Mochas or do I think of…
I actually wouldn’t be surprised if a woman ran Burger King or was partially responsible for the content of this ad. Women are often complicit in this type of advertising exploitation (though of course not usually behind it). It is often true that in order to climb the ladder of hierarchical, patriarchal, racist institutions, people end up conforming to the norm rather than standing up for themselves based on race, class background, gender, sexuality, etc. There are lots of examples fo this, and it makes sense, otherwise that oppressive structure wouldn’t promote you.
I disagree with Keith about the size of the target demographic for this ad (assuming he meant numbers). There are millions of people (mostly men) who will surely find this ad very attractive, and for all the repulsion expressed in the comments so far, no one here has really tackled what’s wrong with that. I would like to hear from women exactly what you find offensive about the ad, and from men what about it attracts you. These are themes that are quite pervasive in our society, and have been for a very long time – Burger King didn’t just realize that many men like blowjobs and many women like large penises. I’m not defending it, but in order to work towards more positive, accurate portrayals of women, I think it’s important to recognize why someone would create this type of ad in the first place. Sexual attraction is such an involuntary (and to a certain extent, conditioned) phenomenon that I think many men are attracted to imagery that seems to legitimize or explain what they feel or desire, but can’t control or rationalize. So this ad seems to say, ‘see, it’s normal, this is what women want.’ Putting the blatant objectification aside for a minute, as women, could you on some level feel the same kind of attraction to this ad or other sex-based advertising?
What’s the problem? With a mainstream ad portraying women as porny and cockhungry? Emphasis on HUNGRY. An ad meant to purposely offend ladies who don’t like companies that fuel the fire of a wide demographic already very detrimental towards women who have more worth than how wide they can open their mouths or legs?
While I personally don’t care that much, the ad is stupid and that sandwich looks disgusting. It may get people talking about Burger King, and the controversy is the point, I don’t eat there anyway and most likely never will.
Aside from the (not so) subltle innuendo which Burger King’s ad men have cunningly displayed for us, I think the thing that would blow my mind would be the thought of trying to actually finish off that quantity of (not so delicious) Burger King burger.
It’s more blatant and silly to me than offensive. I’m inclined to think it’s a spoof since it’s SO abjectly banal 2D porno.
I’m sure you’re also right, Mike, that it is mostly men that would like this ad. I think it was merely a wish that the target audience be small, but a second thought makes me sure that it is frighteningly vast. A couple of reasons I hate this ad:
The ad is offensive to me because its degrading. It is degrading to women to even suggest that their mind should be blown by a seven inch greasy sandwich that represents their supposed ultimate desire – to suck a man’s penis. Give me a break!
The ad is also degrading to my intellect. A large majority of men may in fact only live to consume flame-broiled meat, beer, TV, gadgets, and women. I don’t fit that profile in the least. Men give men a bad name.
Sure, If something offends me I can just looks away and ignore it, so I will. I’ll continue to ignore Burger King even more than ever because of their recent ads.
I don’t get it. Who do the advertisers think they’re appealing to ? Most sex based ads appeal to the notion that their product will make you more attractive- all I’m getting out of this is that the experience of eating Burger King is akin to having a big dick in your mouth. Even the cavemen who appreciate the image on the ad itself probably aren’t going to be eager to suck down a seven incher when they’re out with their buddies.
I fear I failed to do my duty as The Sister Project’s Oldest Sister in Residence and chaperone this group. :) I was out of town today and away from the laptop, but seems like everyone went ahead without me; “parental” guidance not needed, huh?
I am alternately laughing and crying at the comments here. and love you all for not feeling the least bit hesitant to react in real-time.
This is also why I adore Anastasia: because she always does that…she provokes. In the years I have known her, she has set off more lightbulbs in my head that I can count now, and even if afterward I thought, “Oooh, but I disagree with that,” the thing is: I THOUGHT. She makes me think. (And truth be told, usually we agree, across a giant age gap, strange but true.)
I notice that even FoxNews (disclaimer: not my kind of news source) reports today that this BK campaign is a bad deal.
I don’t know how they got away with this poster. Unbelievable.