In chapter 4 of Feminism is for Everybody, bell hooks talked about feminist education for critical consciousness. bell hooks (2000) said, "Teaching feminist thought and theory to everyone means that we have to reach beyond the academic and even the written word. Masses of folks lack the skills to read most feminist books. Books on tape, songs, radio, and television are all ways to share feminist knowledge" (p. 23-24). For question two, we gave you an example of a commercial by Tide, which showed a mother who was disappointed Tide had removed all the stains from her daughter's boyish clothing. We asked you: "What were your initial reactions to the commercial? Why is it not okay that her daughter is not in pink? Do you think they would ever make a similar commercial with a boy in more feminine clothing? Why?"
The majority of us weren't ok with this ad by Tide. Guess what? We're not the only ones! The following are a couple of websites speaking out against the campaign:
http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/hey-tide-whats-wrong-with-girls-wearing-camouflage-and-cargo-shorts/discrimination/2011/08/09/25174
http://www.advocate.com/Arts_and_Entertainment/Internet/New_Ads_LGBT_Viewers_Praise_Some_Decry_Others/
Many people described the mother as uptight, and as being not accepting of her daughter. People thought the mother thought it wasn't ok her daughter wasn't wearing pink because she wasn't accepting the traditional feminine role. Likewise, most people found the girl's behavior to be acceptable Several people described the girl as a tomboy, and couple others that that was a "phase" that the girl was going through.
More interestingly, is that the majority of the class thought this would never be made into a commercial with a boy in feminine clothing. The class seemed to deem it more socially acceptable for the girl to be in boys' clothing, and several people said it would cause an "uproar" if a boy was in girls' clothing. A couple people also related a commercial with a boy in feminine clothing as being "homosexual" or "gay."
How do you think we can use commercials such as this one, to educate people about feminist ideas? Do we need a movie? A television channel? Essentially, what do you think it would take the media to stop portraying people in these stereotypical roles? Feminist education is both important formally in the classroom, and in our everyday lives.
hooks, b. (2000). Feminism is for everybody: Passionate politics.
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