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Expert decries advertising's objectification of women

12 p.m., Oct. 14, 2003--Jean Kilbourne, named by The New York Times as one of the three most popular speakers on college campuses, spoke about “The Naked Truth: Advertising’s Image of Women,” to a crowd of more than 1,000 students in the Multipurpose Room of the Trabant University Center on Wednesday, Oct. 8.

Jean Kilbourne

Featuring an array of magazine ads by Calvin Klien, Victoria’s Secret and others, Kilbourne’s hour-long presentation looked at how advertising encourages sexual violence and assault against women. Kilbourne said the advertising industry emphasizes physical perfection in women and turns their bodies into objects.

“The first step in committing a violent crime is to dehumanize your victim,” Kilbourne said, as she showed a woman with a Tanqueray gin bottle superimposed on her stomach. “Ads like this reinforce the idea that a woman’s body is an object.”

According to Kilbourne, the average American is exposed to more than 3,000 advertisements a day. Kilbourne said this constant ad blitz affects the psyche of young people, especially girls. According to Kilbourne, the average fashion model weighs 23 percent less than the average woman, and a recent study found 80 percent of fourth grade girls to be actively dieting.

Kilbourne, who has won the “Lecturer of the Year” award twice from the National Association for Campus Activities, spoke as part of UD’s Sexual Assault Awareness Week, Oct. 8-16. She is the author of “Can’t Buy My Love: How Advertising Changes the Way We Think and Feel.” After the lecture she signed copies of her book.

For more information about Kilbourne, her lectures, books or films visit [www.jeankilbourne.com].

Article by Dean Geddes, AS ’05

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