[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ck14LKBI9GM[/youtube]

Make what you will of this. The sexual availability of the female…um…wildlife, all of whom are sexy and sexualized and dancing with the one male, the bottles of Orangina erupting from between the female zebras’ legs, and the female octopus squeezing Orangina out of her boobs…there’s a lot to work with.

Gah.

Christine B. sent in a link to set of Orangina ads on Flickr:

There are quite a few others, but I’m sure you get the idea.

Women, if you are lucky, you too could look like a piece of Chex Mix:

NEW! You desire these kitchen counters and cupboards like you desire that “dream” woman’s curves.  I know you do.  (Thanks Sarah N!)

I also have to ask: Above her head it reads “Studio White — Featuring Curves.”  Could this be a race joke?  You know, black women are curvy, so a white woman’s curves is a special feature?  I don’t know.  I may be reading too much into it.

Clearly this ad is making a connection between being “tough” and doing blue-collar work. The implication is that desk jobs are not “tough.”

Here’s what’s really fascinating about this: I found the ad in a magazine called Entrepreneur, a magazine clearly aimed at an upper-middle or upper class audience who do desk jobs. Since I find it unlikely they’re trying to actually alienate the readers of the ad, I’m guessing the point is to let these desk workers gain some “toughness” by buying a Ford truck.

“Pornography: The Secret History of Civilization” (2005) is useful for showing that non-procreational sex and sexual enjoyment are not “modern,” and that using and enjoying sexually explicit images isn’t new, either. I liked the first two episodes in the series, especially the second one, which shows how many explicit images there are in religious buildings and texts from the Middle Ages in Europe. Be warned, you need to watch these before showing them to be sure you can get away with it with your audience–for many students, even the artwork and religious drawings would probably lead to outrage today (which can be an interesting discussion in and of itself).

“Fenceline” addresses institutional racism, environmental pollution, and activism by looking at residents in a town in Louisiana and the divisions that arise between blacks and whites about the possibility of toxic waste contamination. It could be useful for discussing environmental issues or looking at why two groups in the same community could come to such different conclusions about what is going on.

I found this article in a parenting magazine. It suggests ways for dads to help their kids learn skills; all of these methods are sports-related. The kids shown are both boys and girls, but I think it’s interesting that since it’s advice for dads, everything has to be put in terms of sports; I don’t think you’d see similar advice for moms. I suppose it is good that the article assumes that men do household chores, though.

Here are some examples: Laundry-Basket Rebound (practice tossing laundry into a basket), Toddler Free Throw (for unpacking groceries), Bowling for Brainpower.

In this ad chewing Skoal provides a male bond that gets the guy out of a speeding ticket.

Here’s an article with a gun vendor talking about women wanting pretty guns.

NEW (Dec ’09)! Harvey tC. sent in this photo of a set of rifles for sale at Ace Hardware in Eau Claire:

Interestingly, when you google “pink gun,” one of the first sites that comes up is Pink Pistols, a gay/lesbian gun organization.

NEW (Jun. ’10)! Jillian took this snapshot of guns for sale at Academy Sports in Oklahoma City, OK: