Archive for February 2009

This Fat Girl Commercial is So Funny and So Wrong

February 2, 2009 Marketing, Social Media, Women's Issues No comments

This Amp’d commercial has been edited by AllYourPrices.com, creating a new re-purposed video designed to market their web site during the last few seconds of the video.

What’s wrong this video? A couple of things come to mind: (a) making fat women the butt of a joke (again!) and (b) using fat jokes to promote a product.

What Amp’d and AllYourPrices.com did right: (a) using humor to create some outrageously contagious viral marketing (b) posting the video on YouTube and (c) making sure that the embed option remains available so people like me can post their video all over the web.

I’m still laughing, even though the feminist womanist in me knows it’s wrong.

If it makes anyone feel better, Amp’d filed bankruptcy and closed down in July 2007. I guess fat jokes didn’t help their company much at all. AllYourPrices.com might want to learn a thing or two from Amp’d; humor is great, but re-purposing Amp’d commercials might not be a good idea.

Obama Never Asked Anybody to Get Naked

February 2, 2009 LGBT, Politics, Sex and Sexuality 3 comments

One of the things I dislike about the gay club scene is that people assume that gay bars are where you can go to fuck and suck in public. Last year, I watched a straight girl (for about 10 seconds!) give her man a blowjob on the dance floor at a gay bar in Rockford, IL. No one seemed to mind until I called foul. The couple wasn’t asked to leave, even though public nudity and public sexual acts are against the law in Illinois. Needless to say, I don’t frequent that establishment anymore.

Today, I received a press release that reminded me of that nasty gay bar in Rockford:

Chicago Takes Off – Bar-lesque Competition is the first of its kind online event where Chicago bartenders are competing to become exposed, virtually. This is the brainchild of a local group of volunteers looking for new ideas on how to raise money and awareness for popular annual revue-show, Chicago Takes Off, benefiting Test Positive Aware Network (TPAN).

“I have never had so many people remark how proud they are of me just for getting naked,” says lead bartender, Rick. Bartenders from popular Chicago watering holes are featured in the online contest that runs through Feb. 28. “I had several of my regulars stumble onto the Bar-lesque site totally unbeknownst to me and they donated anonymously, but later left notes with their coffee orders,” says Jennings, an aspiring performer, part-time shot boy, and part-time coffee barista. “I’m beginning to feel more and more competitive about wanting to get enough donations so I can be shown in a naughtier photo,” adding, “I’m usually much more modest, but I wanna win!”

Umm, yeah. If that works for you, knock yourself out.

I suppose it’s a great way to raise money for charity. Sex sells, right? Interestingly enough, the creative minds behind this fundraising gimmick are claiming it was inspired by President Obama’s call to service. I don’t remember President Obama ever asking anyone to get naked to raise money for charity, although I suppose it’s possible he did and I just missed it.

What’s With the F Grade in Careers?

February 2, 2009 Parenting No comments

It’s that time again.

My 14 yr old’s grades came in the mail today. AR got an A in Art (no surprise there at all), an A in Physical Education (again, no suprise), a C in Science and English, a B in Social Studies, and an F in Careers.

What? An F in Careers? For real?

AR and I had the following conversation:

Me: What the fuck is up with the F in Careers? You don’t plan on having one so you figured, Fuck it?

AR: It’s supposed to be a D.

Me: Really? And how’s that better than an F?

AR: It’s passing.

Me: Seriously, what’s the problem in Careers?

AR: My teacher is too soft. He’s not hard enough on me. He doesn’t yell at me like my other teachers.

Me: Really? I suppose I’m too soft on you too since you don’t seem to worry about me seeing an F on your report card. Besides, teachers aren’t parents. Yelling at you is my job.

AR: (silence)

Me: If you can get a C in Science, you can certainly get an A in Careers – because you hate Science and Careers can’t possibly be harder than Science.

AR: (silence)

Me: No internet past 8 o’clock. Get your homework done and shut down your laptop.

AR: Aww man! That’s not fair. It’s not my fault.

Me: I know. It’s never your fault.

AR is an intelligent young man and he’s an extremely talented artist. See his art work here. I’m assuming he’s bored stiff in Careers and all he ever does is show up. I shouldn’t be too hard on him because I failed Typing class in middle school. I mean, come on. How hard could that class have been? I think I hated the idea that the class was full of girls who were all training to be somebody’s secretary someday.

My next parenting task for the day: find out why I haven’t seen any grades for my 16 yr old in 2 months.