I have 30 page markers in this book so I’m not really sure where to start- how about with Jean Kilbourne’s losing her sense of humor under the barrage of inappropriate ads for booze, cigarettes, junk food and cars?

Her premise is that advertisers deliberately make us slightly unhappy with out bodies, appearance and our lives and then offer up a product that they say will solve the problem but in the end only makes it worse. She certainly has a point. America does have a culture of excess where there is never enough. And this leads to pathology. I couldn’t agree more with her admonition to make sure our children are media literate.

Provocative quotes;

“women live in a state of subliminal terror, a state that according to Mary Daly, keeps us divided both from each other and from our most passionate, powerful, and creative selves.”

And;

“Jackson Katz, who writes and lectures on male violence, often begins his workshops by asking men to describe the things they do every day to protect themselves from sexual assault. The men are surprised, puzzled, sometimes amused by the question. The women understand the question easily and have no trouble at all coming up with a list of responses.”

Kilbourne gives voice to all my vague unease from the overly sexual music videos and too violent movies. These things have become main-stream and accepted, her word is ‘normalized’ mine would be ‘inured. Adopting these inappropriate values causes women to be objectified, men to be unable to express themselves, and can lead to addiction.

I don’t believe the true root of the problem is advertisers- they’re in business to make money just like everybody else. The true root of them problem is worshipping the almighty dollar above everything else. ( )

Compelling and crucial examination of marketing and its effects on young women. If you are or were a young woman, or are in charge of one, you must read this book. Know thy enemy! And it is Corporate America! The author does a frighteningly good job of breaking down the tools and techniques of Madison Avenue. A must read. ( )

As someone who works for an advertising business, I had been avoiding this book on purpose for quite some time before I picked it up. Now I know that this book should be required reading for every female high school freshman. Every woman who has dieted, picked herself apart for her appearance or stared longingly at a magazine layout needs to read this book. It is such a fantastic book. You know you are living under myths and lies to a certain extent but just how many is amazing. I love all the excerpts about how magazines try to pull in major advertising dollars. I have recommened to all of my friends who have young female children. I wonder how much smarter I could have been if this had entered my life as a younger woman. ( )