Got Sexism? (Updated)

There was a small victory today when NPR reported that the California Milk Processor Board has abandoned the "edgy" advertisement campaign that raised much controversy. While one might think to themselves, "Success!", unfortunately there are plenty who do not.


I learned of the ads repeal from my Facebook page on which I noticed the headline from NPR. After taking in the news, I proceeded to read some of the commentary from others that followed the story's release. If you have a Facebook account, you can see for yourself here. Some of the comments include:

"You know, I'd be more sympathetic about this if women weren't constantly using their periods as an excuse to be total bitches. Not say that all do, but a good portion of them do."

"Also, to all the men out there: Drinking soy milk elevates estrogen levels in the body like crazy. Unless you like being fat, soft, and weak don't drink it. I'm pretty sure it'll make you into a eunuch. Granted, I heard Asian men can get away with drinking it, but I wouldn't count on it."

"Women act like bitches most of the time for no reason at all. PMS just gives them a pass once in a while."

Please note that these comments are in addition to the moderated comments on NPR's webpage that is hosting the story. If you'd like, you can read those by following this link.

I noticed a couple things from reviewing the comments. First, there were several people who assumed the only people who were offended by the ad campaign were women. Let me be clear that I am not a woman and that I was offended by the ad. I believe it insulted both men and women. Secondly, many of the comments (such as those shown above) demonstrate that there are still plenty of people (more men than women, but both nonetheless) that attribute the ads removal to "political correctness" rather than admitting the message was hurtful. There seemed to be a theme with many of the comments that centered on the argument that those who were offended by the ad were overreacting to the California Milk Processor Board's use of humor. The issue I have with this argument is that it supports harmful stereotypes and allows for people to express negative biases under the guise of protecting the freedom of speech.
 
The original post follows.
 
To be sure, sexism is alive and well. I came across the advertisement shown below as part of an article published by NPR.

At first, I thought it might have been a spoof. I mean, it wouldn't be the first time that someone has tried to capitalize on the famous dairy company trademark "Got Milk?". Unfortunately, as I read the article, I came to the realization that this was no joke. The folks at the California Milk Processor Board apparently decided that the best way to publicize one of the potential health benefits from calcium was to disrespect and belittle their customers. And if the image shown above wasn't bad enough, take note of the accompanying website.

 

Take note of the layout used by the company. The command center-like theme caters toward the stereotypical male need for control and to be in charge. Note the "Current Global PMS Level" which mimics the former color-coded Terrorist Threat Level used by the Department of Homeland Security. Is it the California Milk Processor Board's intent to compare women to terrorists? Of course not, right? It's just a parody that's supposed to be funny. Just like when the website depicts men as being ignorant of their spouses preferences, like color, or incapable of knowing whether or not they had done something wrong. Apparently, the California Milk Processor Board believes that the majority of men are like Al Bundy. 

All of the men depicted by this advertisement are fearful and cowering of their unseen spouses. The word that NPR chose to describe these men is "henpecked". I have to wonder if the author, Scott Hensley, might have been subconsciously referring to the California Milk Processor Board's homepage, which uses an irritated "Mother Hen" as a metaphor for women who are experiencing symptoms of PMS. You see, the California Milk Processor Board apparently thinks so highly of women that is provides visitors of its website with the opportunity to play a game in which the player tries to drag puzzle pieces to their correct place in order to help "unruffle the feathers" of the "tense and irritable" mother hen. Of course, this puzzle game rewards players efforts with impatient ridicule and threats from the digital fowl.


Overall, the California Milk Processor Board's latest endeavor to increase revenue has shown an overtly negative bias. While the benefits from drinking milk may be very real, the stereotypes perpetuated by this campaign serve only to denigrate both women and men. Maybe they didn't get the memo...