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Friday, September 5, 2008

PETA: Sexy or sexist?



This week, in response to an opinion piece in the NY Times on the legal rights of apes in which PETA's moves were referred to as boneheaded, the president of PETA wrote a letter to the paper defending its use of provocative sexual imagery in its animal rights campaigns, saying: "Forgive us our bikinis and our shock tactics, but our message that all beings--both human and nonhuman--deserve compassion and respect is one that we must work hard to make heard." It's a line that's easy for people like those over at Feministing to take issue with, when so many of PETA's ads use female sexuality in a way that seems disrespectful and lacking compassion. See their PETA collage for examples.

Now, we're no apologists for PETA, despite Lo's vegetarian status and her constant urging of Em to give up her foie-gras ways. Ever since their lame "Fur trim is unattractive" ad, we've always been wary of PETA making its messages at women's expense (come on, we're all animals, and we're all furry to some extent). HOWEVER, a quick review of their video library (including their banned ads) and we can't deny they've got some really good, sex-related content that's really not that offensive at all! (Well, unless you're a meat eater.) Here are our 5 faves:

1. "Sex Talk" (video above)
This is one damn funny ad. It's a riff on The Talk parents have with their teenage kids about sex. Unless you're a black market back-alley puppy pusher, you can't not love it.

2. "Sex and the Kitty"
Another fun one about what cats do when you're at work. Who knew kitties had O-faces?

3. "Rude Food"
Basically, vegetable porn. Aw, yeah.

4. "Sexy Sausage: Director's Cut"
A play on '70s porno--it uses a ridiculous porn plotline cliché to show how ridiculous it is that we eat crap that makes us impotent. Yes, there's some typical female T&A, but at least it's counterbalanced by the beefcake guy and the closeup on his package!

5. "Milk Gone Wild"
A parody of the Girls Gone Wild videos: instead of boobies, they've got udders. Because when you think about it--or, at least, when Lo thinks about it--it's kind of gross that we drink another species' breast milk. We wish there were a little more exposition in this one, but we didn't think the now-infamous New Yorker cover of the Obamas needed any explanation, so we'll give it to PETA. Yeah, okay, maybe this one could be considered a teeny bit offensive, though we're no fans of GGW and we thought it was funny. However, their follow-up, "Milk Gone Wild 2: At the Car Wash," is pure gratuitous titillation, and that really is too bad. Yes, we all have our lines.

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RELATED: "French Vogue  gives PETA the Middle Finger"

Related: women, sexual imagery, sex in advertising, peta videos, peta

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From the Community…

Comments 1-10 of 40
  • S.'s Avatar
    Posted by S. Fri Jul 25, 2008 4:48pm PDT

    Some of those are just tasteless. PETA ads give animal activists a bad name.

    Report Abuse
  • instrumentjamlord's Avatar
    Posted by instrumentjamlord Fri Jul 25, 2008 10:56pm PDT

    Is it not gross that we eat other species' ovaries? (Better known as "fruit")

    Is it not gross that we proudly display other species' genitalia? (Better known as "flowers")

    Is it not gross that we drink the excretory products of juice-infesting microorganisms? (Better known as "wine")

    Gross is in the eye of the beholder. In other words, get over it.

    Report Abuse
  • jones.william79's Avatar
    Posted by jones.william79 Sat Jul 26, 2008 3:37am PDT

    You people need to get a LIFE,Talk about something worth talking about! Face your concerns on News worthy issues!

    Report Abuse
  • Beth's Avatar
    Posted by Beth Sat Jul 26, 2008 5:58am PDT

    I'm not a fan of Peta mainly because they are hypocrites, but those commercials are hilarious...except for the Milk Gone Wild....that one is just disturbing.

    Report Abuse
  • Bowhead's Avatar
    Posted by Bowhead Sat Jul 26, 2008 7:00am PDT

    Some of the commercials are pretty effective but what kept me from becoming a Vegetarian is that being around Vegetarians is like being around a die-hard Christian, its like they are always trying to convert me or something. Its annoying.

    Report Abuse
  • springtime's Avatar
    Posted by springtime Sat Jul 26, 2008 8:34am PDT

    LOL ! Blowhead is so right! I was at a party where a girl was trying to convince everyone that we would all look and feel so much better if we were vegetarians who ate only raw foods.... never cooked. And yes, she brought her own carrot and celery sticks to nibble on.

    Finally, after a few Cosmos, a guy told her he was going to force feed her turkey leg if she didn't shut the F up. Everyone cheered.

    Like most people, I take PETA lightly.

    Report Abuse
  • Atiq Z's Avatar
    Posted by Atiq Z Sat Jul 26, 2008 8:34am PDT

    H've you humen Milk?

    Report Abuse
  • superkate's Avatar
    Posted by superkate Sat Jul 26, 2008 9:31am PDT

    PETA seems to self-righteous.

    Report Abuse
  • aisha_khan152's Avatar
    Posted by aisha_khan152 Sat Jul 26, 2008 1:30pm PDT

    bad seen keep it only with u dont share with others

    Report Abuse
  • aisha_khan152's Avatar
    Posted by aisha_khan152 Sat Jul 26, 2008 1:31pm PDT

    bad seen keep it only with u dont share with others

    Report Abuse
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