Saturday, November 17, 2012

Wherein the soapbox gets a workout...

I do love me a good protest.  There's nothing more amusing than watching someone who seriously, seriously into their chosen issue try to convince a bunch of apathetic passers by that what they're protesting is of the utmost importance.  Usually they're ignored by the passers by, sometimes humoured and a petition gets signed in an attempt to get them to stop harping on, and occasionally there's laughing and pointing involved. Honestly, I could watch them for hours!

Unless it's an issue I feel very strongly about, I generally deal with them by crossing the road, not making eye contact, or on one occasion when the fellow was particularly persistent, pretending I don't speak English.  I generally try to avoid open mocking (except where it's clearly necessary), after all we all have our little quirks and beliefs that other people find baffling.  Personally, I feel very strongly about scrap booking, although I try to keep my vitriol to myself.

But when I saw the new campaign by PETA, those kooky animal loving kids, I was more than a little disturbed by the direction they chose to go.  In it they have a poster of a woman who has apparently shoved a yeti wig down her lacy underwear, with a slogan cutely declaring "Fur Trim:  Unattractive".

Here's the link to the poster, but open it with caution.  I wouldn't say it's NSFW, but it probably skirts the boarder if your boss is an asshole.

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is the point where I get out my soapbox and start preaching.

It's ridiculous, and more than a little disturbing, that there is this current trend for men to prefer women without any "grass on the wicket".  For whatever reason, the lads in our lives have been convinced that they should want women who look like they're about twelve years old, rather than those who look like they might actually be old enough to be sexually active!

But for any group to use this ridiculous social phobia in a way that actually compares it with something they consider base and wrong is inexcusable!  It's not helping, it's just reaffirming the notion that women shouldn't look like they've entered puberty.

Bad form, PETA, bad form.

And now I'll put away the soapbox before someone trips over it.

55 comments:

  1. I agree! PETA has a very bad track record of misogyny. And don't get me started on the hypocritical coded pedophilia of our society!

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    1. We don't hear about them that much here, but it didn't take me long to see that they're a bit whacky.

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  2. Now I do like me some manscaping! No need to get out the weedwacker to see the worm ya know.

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  3. PETA will not give upuntill everyone is a vegitarian and all clothes are synthetic...did they not even see any of the Planet of the Apes movies?

    Regards trimming, a little grooming never hurt anyone...legs, underarms...under lips...and...yea that too.

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    1. But what will they eat when they work out that Vegetables have feeling too!

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  4. If you were protesting about scrapbooking, I'd cross the street :)

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  5. i think it's interesting how sometimes peta seems to put the value of humans below the value of animals. if anything, shouldn't they be equal? humans count too, whether they're groomed in their bikini regions or not.

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    1. I always put humans above animals, personally. It's probably not PC or whatever, but I'll pick the wellbeing of a person over the wellbeing of an animal any day.

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  6. For some reason, I thought PETA was 'all natural." I guess I wasn't paying attention when they went from save the animals to slave the women.

    (I believe in "following the money" - how many people benefit (cash in) on getting rid of body hair? Convince the world that women should be hairless and there's plenty of money to be made - humans are just made that way - we grow hair. Like the crazy notion that all women are a size 2 - diet 'til you drop - or until the money runs out.)

    Do they really think women will give them money if they are using their charity contributions for this kind of nonsense?

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  7. Well that was an interesting click! That poster is disturbing on so many levels. I'm all for keeping things neat down there but not so much that makes me prepubescent. That's just creepy!

    Also, I think PETA went from a "social awareness" organization with a pretty decent message to a "psycho crazy" one that most people should avoid. It's one thing to advocate for animal rights and even becoming vegetarian, but it is quite another to put animal rights over people. Sorry. I love my pets and all animals (except Australian ones because they're just out for murder) but I'll side with my species any day of the week. I guess you could call me a species-ist?

    Look at me making up words!

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  8. Kellie! hi! i need to say "huh?". why is peta making a claim on this? an animal was involved? o good grief. peta will be peta but we don't have to follow their lead.

    btw, i am with you on the protesters being awkward to nearly laughable. that is why i am not concerned with politics. i am patriotic. i vote. but politics and patriotic are two separate things. [somewhat of what you were saying].

    see ya. i love your talent.

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    1. Yeah, I'm not sure how it relates to animals either. I guess there's normal people logic, and then they're PETA logic.

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  9. One of these days I am going to learn to not click on your links and simply trust you. Things cannot be unseen, and I didn't need to see that.
    PETA is stupid.

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    1. LOL! Hey, I put the warning in! Can't say you didn't know something freaky was going to be on the other end!

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  10. PETA is just a cult of hooligans anyways. Eating animals is not good but objectifying women is alright! Clearly makes sense.

    At least this one isn't as bad as the "I'd rather shower in urine than wear fur" posters. Or were those fake, I'm not sure.

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    1. Eww! I don't think I've seen that one ... and I'm glad I haven't.

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  11. Don't throw away your soapbox!! Is there room for the two of us on it?

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  12. We all need to chip in and pay for that poor girl to get a Brazilian, and the sooner the better.

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  13. Wishin I hadn't clicked the link.... That's just terrible! :)

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    1. It does make you wonder what marketing genius came up with it, doesn't it.

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  14. Ewww, ewwww, ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!

    I need brain floss!

    Btw, not only are PETA a bunch of misogynistic hooligans...their animal shelters have the highest kill rate of any, in this country at least.

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  15. Huh? We didn't do anything like that at my last PETA* meeting. We just grilled brats and burgers and drank beer. ;)

    S

    *People Eating Tasty Animals

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  16. PETA is weird. I'm all for a lot of what they are trying to do but they desperately need a new marketing team.

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    1. Someone should tell them that alienating half the population really isn't a good idea.

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  17. PETA have been ridiculous for well over a decade. They started out as a perfectly fine organization that used to warn people which companies tested on animals, then went completely psychotic. I still laugh about how they got all up in arms when Obama swatted a fly. I mean, c'mon people!

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    1. Makes you wonder if they get upset at people who use anti-bacterial soaps. All those poor germs, slaughtered!

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  18. I've been grumbling about the cultural obsession with prepubescent female furlessness for years. When are we going to get ads about the refreshing feeling of a newly shaved scrotum?

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    1. True, there definitely seems to be a gender divide with this one.

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  19. Whoa! I LOVE the way you think! Thanks for stopping by My Life As Lucille. Can't wait to read more of your posts. Peas. In. Pod.

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  20. I can't stand PETA. What a joke of an organization.

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  21. Now I'm feeling a little guilty about waxing my neck. I am hairy woman, hear me roar!

    And scrapbooking? We should talk. I too have very strong opinions on the matter, but I don't want Judy to get mad at me.

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    1. Don't feel guilty, I do the facial hair removal too (I'm also a hairy woman, thanks to my Eastern Eurpoean heritage). It's not the hair removal that gets me worked up, it's the whole prepubescent look that gets me angry.

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  22. That pretty well ticks me off, too. The two things have nothing to do with one another. To shave or not shave is a personal choice for women and there is absolutely nothing wrong with a woman who doesn't. Ridiculous that they would compare that with wearing animal fur. And, to be honest, I always pictured PETA gals as going the natural route and not shaving anything, including their legs.

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  23. I get into it with people about this all the time.
    I personally agree that it feels prepubescent to shave completely. Nothing wrong with some trimming but there is CERTAINLY nothing wrong with having some hair there.
    And I'm so confused about PETA and what their intent was with this poster. I mean, I GET it but I don't get who thought this was a good way to get their point across.

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    1. I don't even have a problem with women who want to do it. My problem is with men who think it's the only way a woman should be. It's just a bit creepy.

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  24. The worst protest I've ever seen was when I went to a defence procurement workshop. I was there as a solar power provider with people who provided things like beds, shoes, canned cheese. The event was picketed by anti war protesters, I had to cross their picket line to get in. When they started yelling abuse at me I turned around and told them I was there to sell solar power, they had no idea what to say to that. Anyway while we were in there, they left bullets with little anti war messages on our cars. Needless to say the police were called and a lot of people were very freaked out.

    As for that PETA campaign, they are just becoming even bigger nut jobs as the years go by. PETA lost all credibility for me a long time ago.

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    1. They left bullets on your cars!!! Holy crap, that's ridiculous! I hope the police got involved, that's a blatant threat.

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    2. I think this is marketing genius!!! Not only do I not wanna wear fur, but I also never want to grow pubes again.

      Hugs!

      Valerie

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  25. I completely agree. Pubic hair choices should be made for each man/woman for themselves and NO comments from anyone else. And "EW" if you think we should be bald. Just, ew.

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