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Congressional Babes
By Jill Filipovic • March 06, 2007 •Women and Law in the Media
Last week on my blog we had a short conversation about hyper-sexualized younger women, and why coming down on them is a little bit unfair. Now, the LA Times gives us this article about Rep. Loretta Sanchez, a Congresswoman who is, according to the paper, is being "tested on whether her reputation will be more coquette or congresswoman." Because Lord knows the earth would shatter if she were both a female politician and a human being. This one should probably be filed under "women can't win" because, well, we can't. And this illustrates it. The fact is that most women,…
Sexy Legal Advertising
By Yes, Virginia • February 06, 2007 •Women and Law in the Media
By a 2L at NYU School of Law Back in November, a minor controversy erupted in Boston over an ad placed by Jiwani, a maker of custom-tailored suits, in the Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly (here is a link through Abovethelaw.com to the picture Is this ad in the same vein as the Clinique ‘cum’ shot discussed by Frank Herbert in the New York Times (see his October 16, 2006 editorial “Why Aren't We Shocked?” discussing wide-spread misogyny in our society)? Is the woman in this ad a mere sexual plaything? That is the easy argument—just survey the obvious signs: she is…
Sexist Advertising in Legal Magazines
By Jill Filipovic • February 02, 2007 •Women and Law in the Media
[The following focuses on an advertisement in Massachussets Lawyers Weekly, which featured a naked woman, covered by a man's suit coat, pulling a professionally-dressed man toward her by his tie, with the words, "A custom tailored suit is a natural aphrodisiac." Several female attorneys wrote in to complain, and a handful of "feminist" defenses of the ad followed. This is a response to some of those arguments.] If this ad is somehow represents the idea that women can be sexual, then that idea isn't really new at all, is it? Women's bodies have been used in advertising to sell goods…