I found this ad in this random magazine published by a local bank that gets sent to my house every so often. As far as I can tell, it is an ad for advertising:

The small text at the bottom says “The secret formula revealed. Advertising. The way great brands get to be great brands.” What I like about this image is the self-awareness of the importance of advertising for making your product a household name, and the implication that advertising is what make Coke a globally-recognized brand. And also that it’s about being a great brand, not having a great product. This might be a good image to add to a presentation on marketing and/or the media.

This old CoverGirl lipstick ad, found here, illustrates the infantilization of women we often see in ads-women (provocatively) licking ice cream cones, eating fruit, and so on. Thanks to Krystal-lynn M. for sending it in!

These Kenzie ads (available at the University of Michigan’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center’s website) also have women in childlike poses, with their mary-jane shoes and ruffled socks. Thanks for sending them in, Laura L.!

These images illustrate two common trends in advertising: on the one hand, women are portrayed as little girls, as coyly innocent, as lacking in power and maturing. On the other hand, child-likeness is sexy, and girls are portrayed as Lolitas whose innocence is questionable.

NEW (Mar. ’10)! Jeff H. sent along this photo from a GQ spread in which Reille Hunter is posed with Kermit the Frog, Barney the Dinosaur, and Dora the Explorer:

What do you think of this?

Found at blogofstench.

Kay Steiger blogs about the decline in wages since 2001 for college graduates. Figure A shows that both men and women college graduates are earning less than they did in 2001. The wage gap between women and men has decreased, but only because men’s wages have been falling. To top it off, Figure B shows that a lower percentage of college graduates are getting health insurance and pension coverage.

Might this be related to the shrinking middle class?

Via Matthew Yglesias.

For our sociologist and sociologically-inclined readers:

As Wicked Anomie asks, “Sociologist and American are mutually exclusive categories?” Who knew!

She also notes:

…did you also notice that bit about “real issues,” and how they and racial/ethnic issues are mutually exclusive? So, we have the broader category of issues, then we have subcategories of racial/ethnic and “real.”

Indeed.

Via contexts crawler.

Found here, here, and here thanks to Erin H.  Thanks!

Erin writes:

This brings together the awful hypersexualisation of toys for young girls (recommended: ages 4 – 8 ) with the often bizarre and sometimes disturbing anthropomorphisation of animals. In this case, Bratz dolls (complete with impossible footwear and freakishly large eyes) meet My Little Ponies in an unholy combination of hinted-at cleavage, age-inappropriate costuming / accessories and come-hither glances! So many shades of ick. What would the equivalent for young boys be, I wonder?

Speaking of, is anyone else nostalgic for my little ponies and carebears?  Sigh.

NEW!  In a similar phenomenon, I present you the Tini Puppini (found here via Jezebel):

Mary McC. of This Book Is for You draws our attention to a link to the full text of a book called “The Stork Didn’t Bring You.”

The book, written for adolescents in 1948 by Lois Pemberton, is surprisingly thorough! But, as Mary said, has plenty of “cringe-worthy” parts, including this tidbit from the chapter Trouble, Trouble, Trouble:

A triple-header of shocks awaits the eager beavers who insist on turning deaf ears to all adult warnings. They’ll awake to one or all three one black morn, in exchange for the few fleeting moments of stolen experiences… You know them already: an illegitimate child; an abortion; or a social disease (p. 158).

Thanks Mary!

By Leonie Martine Janssen (from Miguel via Inspire Me, Now!):