« Student Suspended From Christian College for Appearing in Gay Porn | Main | Remembering Francis Schaeffer »
May 8, 2009
How White Castle exploits women to sell sandwiches
Dawn Herzog Jewell, an evangelical author/friend of mine on Facebook, called my attention to a new White Castle commercial for its new pulled pork sandwich. (See above, PG-13) In the first place, the White Castle marketing department is not too swift in launching an effort like this during the global swine flu 'panic-epidemic.'
But using imagery from a strip club and an exotic dancer-pig crosses the border for me into visual exploitation of women. Exotic dancers are at extremely high risk of drug abuse and prostitution, and a very high percentage of them were abused as children. My friend emails:
If I didn't know that between 65 to 90 percent of women working in strip clubs were sexually abused, the ad might be funnier. It pokes fun at men viewing women as pieces of meat, but I'm afraid it validates more than condones the exploitation of women's bodies. The sexualization of cultures takes place ad by ad, song by song. It will continue if we remain silent.
What a great idea, White Castle, to associate your food products with this social sickness. This past week, New York Times columnist Nick Kristof, a person of much integrity in the mainstream media, wrote about exploitation of woman and prostitution in the United States.
In his May 7 column, 'Girls on Our Streets,' he writes:
I've often reported on sex trafficking in other countries, and that has made me curious about the situation here in the United States. Prostitution in America isn't as brutal as it is in, say, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Cambodia and Malaysia (where young girls are routinely kidnapped, imprisoned and tortured by brothel owners, occasionally even killed). But the scene on American streets is still appalling
- and it continues largely because neither the authorities nor society as a whole show much interest in 14-year-old girls pimped on the streets.
At least White Castle has a comment feature on it's webpage.
Perhaps you will want to let White Castle know what you think about their 'Flashdancing' pig.
For the record, an addendum: Of course, the normal consumption of pork could not cause swine flu.
Comments
Agreed. But don't forget to include Burger King in your list of fast food joints that exploit women. Their 'square pants' ads are absolutely disgusting. And very degrading to women.
Posted By: Brad Quicksall | May 8, 2009 3:16 PM
I agree that, as a culture, we have glamorized and celebrated the sex industry (in which I include strippers, exotic dancers, prostitutes, pornographers, etc.). This has trivialized the dangers women are subjected to and hidden the self-destructive nature of the industry. Human trafficking is one of the greatest evils of our contemporary world.
That being said, your argument would be stronger and better heard if 1) you recognized that this ad is an homage to the iconic sequence in the movie "Flashdance" (which I dislike; but, it is certainly a part of pop culture) and 2) you deleted the line about swine flu as swine flu is not transmitted by the eating of pork and it just makes you seem like you have a grudge against White Castle.
Posted By: Matthew C | May 8, 2009 10:45 PM
This article missed the whole point of the ad. The ad is spoofing the men who are ogling the dancing pig and mocking our Madison Avenue culture in which sexy women are used to sell products. The ad is NOT exploiting women. If the pig were in any way designed to be sexy or sexual, perhaps you would have a point. But the pig is cartoonish and decidedly un-sexy. There is nothing objectifying about it. White Castle is not "associating itself" with the "social sickness" of exotic dancing or other sexual degradation of women. Just the opposite. It's mocking the culture that treats woman like pieces of meat. No actual women were harmed in the making of this ad! Seriously, this type of attempt to "protect" women is patronizing. Faux "protection" is more demeaning than the dancing pig.
You want to protect American women from the dancing pig. You want to protect African women from the dangers of having access to condoms. You want to protect the church in Cuba from the dangers of a potentially-lifted embargo. All this "help" is seems to treat the recipients as if they were children unable to protect themselves.
Women have nothing to fear from satire. Women should be trusted to make decisions about family planning even if they are not the decisions you would choose for your own family. And, the church in Cuba is run by grown-ups and they can meet whatever challenges arise from the freedom and money that will flow from the lifting of the embargo.
Please give us all more credit. Life is not one big episode of the "The Perils of Pauline" in which some man has to run around saving the damsel in distress from imminent doom. Next time you feel the urge to "protect," please don't. Sometimes the patronizing nature of the "help" is worse than the harm you're trying to save us from.
Posted By: Christian Lawyer | May 8, 2009 10:53 PM
Tim, to summarize what Matthew C. has stated, lighten up and get a grip. Based on the tenor of you comments you are conservative but you are sounding more like a "Nanny State" liberal. You consider everyone too stupid to know what to do without guidance and help from either the state (liberal) or the church (conservative). If this were direct exploitation you might have a point but some of the best arguements are based in satire. Satire, by its very nature, offends the ignorant and unthinking of the exact group that it is intending to support. Think about it.
Posted By: Oscar | May 9, 2009 7:52 AM
Seriously?? It's a pig!!! Of all of the battles out there to choose, and this is the one you pick?
Posted By: Ryan | May 9, 2009 12:19 PM
That disturbs me. D: 'Seems as though it's both exploitation of the poor pigs those people are eating and the woman/women in the commercial's message thingy.
Posted By: piperwolf | May 17, 2009 7:14 PM
Get a life. There are at least 10,000 other things in this world to be more outraged about than a stupid commercial like this.
Posted By: Anonymous | May 17, 2009 11:13 PM
Seriously? You're upset over a commercial? God good, get a grip and go outside for once.
Posted By: Wat | May 17, 2009 11:36 PM
Get a life seriously. Its just a commercial. People like you have a distorted view of the real world. Spend your time volunteering at an old folks home instead of blogging if you are concerned about the world.
Posted By: Jeff | May 18, 2009 7:42 PM
Ummmmm, I don't think I would have seen this commercial accept for the hype, so now I am hungry (probably not for White Castle though). I am probably more concerned about the impact of poor eating habits on our culture than the exploitation of the not so sexy pig. I was recently diagnosed with diabetes and I am appalled by the poor condition of our food resources that has sucked me in and made me an addict. By the way I laughed when I saw this commercial. I know you wanted me to have a different reaction and I though I was going to, but come on it is hideously funny. I am deeply disturbed by exploitation in our culture and around the world. I am just not convinced that this add is the punching bag that will whip us into shape to take up the fight. I can think of music videos that stir me up more than this. Or even more to the point clothing lines for children that are provocative and suggestive that make me pause. Perhaps that might be your point but as it is I have spent to much energy on inaction and to much energy on this stupid but funny add.
Posted By: John | May 21, 2009 5:24 PM