"Advertising is the art of convincing people to spend money they don't have for something they don't need." – Will Rogers

Objectification, Amsterdam Style

Posted: November 30th, 2009 | Author: elena | Filed under: advertising, billboards, discrimination, exploitation, men, objectification | Tags: | 1 Comment »

Last week, I was in Amsterdam for IDFA – the biggest film festival in the documentary world. In between film screenings and networking events, I would walk around town indulging in my favorite activity: street photography. What struck me the most was the ubiquity of ads that objectified both men and women: they were strikingly similar to those that I see every day around Paris. I somehow didn’t expect to find this in the Netherlands, a country that consistently ranks in the top 10 of gender equality nations and that is far more progressive and down to earth than France.

A couple of examples that were plastered all around town:

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I’m thinking of starting a regular feature on this blog, posting offensive ads that I see around town (Paris, that is). Thoughts/suggestions?

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One Comment on “Objectification, Amsterdam Style”

  1. #1 Tweets that mention The Illusionists » Blog Archive » Objectification, Amsterdam Style -- Topsy.com said at 4:32 pm on November 30th, 2009:

    [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by The Illusionists, Open Media. Open Media said: The Illusionists » Blog Archive » Objectification, Amsterdam Style: Last week, I was in Amsterdam for IDFA – the biggest http://url4.eu/qyIR [...]

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