Lynx Chocolate Man Advert

So I've now had the luck to witness the latest Lynx Advert featuring the chocolate man (it can be seen here for those who haven't seen it). Well done Lynx! Your advertising team must be full of some very intelligent people. Who would of thought? Women and chocolate?! Never! Because the people behind the Lynx advert* obviously sense some inbuilt attraction to chocolate in women. Tad essentialist don't you think? Or even just general? There is nothing to say that all women find chocolate "irresistible", just as there's nothing which states men can't also share such an attraction. In fact, shouldn't of Lynx considered those male fans of chocolate out there? Perhaps in the interests of being completely non-discriminatory we should have also seen men throwing themselves at the chocolate man. No, because that wouldn't fit in with the stereotypes that

a) all women love chocolate
b) women are the weaker sex (throwing themselves at the chocolate man; disregarding the gym because at the sight of chocolate)

Top marks Lynx.

*Speaking of the people behind the Lynx advert, I'd like to know whether they are all men and if not, what the women's reactions to this idea was.

Gagging for a drink?

Reading the latest post over at brand new feminist blog on such things as this poster from the Home Office. What is it with this relationship between being raped and being under the influence of alcohol? And why is it this relationship which the government/media jump on? It's obvious to me that it's yet another way of pointing the finger, moving the blame away from the real issue at hand. Let's bring attention to statistics regarding victims of rape (implying in the poster that these are predominantly female) who had been drinking but not address the issue of how these rapes were allowed to happen. Similar to - let's bring attention to the woman who was raped but was wearing a short skirt and was therefore 'asking for it'.

Why is it that as women we are expected to adapt or monitor our behaviour and actions for fear of becoming the victims of rape? We're scared into thinking that we're more likely to become a victim of rape for having that next drink, for wearing that particular outfit, for walking home in the dark...

How about directing the real issue here? That we live in a society in which individuals think that rape is acceptable and who would carry out such an activity. How about targeting them for a change?

Britney (Breakdown) Bashing

Subject title says it all really. Now I don't like Britney Spears as a (ahem) musician and I was not particularly keen on the messages she was sending out to young fans BUT can't everyone take a step back from the Britney bashing? Please find below my points of reference which has resulted in a rather fed-up moi.

1. Britney has been bashed for certain lifestyle practices which have strayed from the perfect princess of pop picture (think smoking, partying, pictures of Brit with a burger and chips...) yet we're completely forgetting that she's a young woman in her early twenties who is not only capable of making her own choices, but is free to let her hair down. The minute a young starlet (Lohan I'm looking at you here too) is seen clubbing or hitting the town BAM! the media's all over it like a fucking rash - double standards somewhat? I'm sure there's not this much commotion with male stars.

2. Britney was slammed in the press for being a "bad" mother, mainly due to driving with one son on her lap and the infamous (near) baby dropping incident. I just saw a You've Been Framed this evening in which a bride dropped her baby down some stairs. Did the YBF screen the video and think 'Jesus Christ we have a bad mother on our hands...', course not! We merely got a joke about mistaking your baby for the bouquet.

3. In the same breath in which we comment on Amy Wino's skeletal drug-induced frame, put Nicole Ritchie on magazine front covers with headlines like "TOO SKINNY!" and applaud Beth Ditto for breaking the mould, we leap on Britney's comeback performance and her (apparent) tummy. Whilst the stomach may not have resembled the toned (result of workout after workout) tummy of Hit Me Baby Spears, it was your average, healthy looking belly (and using the word belly even seems wrong). So let's call it fat shall we? Really scrapping the barrel here for justified bitching people...

4. Lastly (and probably the most serious) Britney obviously has some issues (post-natal depression perhaps) which no-one seems that bothered to deal with as they're too happy reeling in the soap drama which her life has become. I might not be too proud of the fact I'm discussing Ms.Spears on my feminism blog* but I'm happy in the knowledge I'm voicing what I feel is the unjust treatment of a woman.

* also slightly perturbed by the amount of 'starlets' I've referenced