dispositivemotion-test: Thoughts on a Thursday: F-Bombs for Feminism

Thursday, October 23, 2014

I listen to the same morning radio program everyday. I have actually listened to it since I was in elementary school. Its often just the thing that gets me from work to home. But today, they discussed a new public-service video that has come out regarding the unequal treatment of women in the workplace.

http://vimeo.com/109731596

Here is the link to the video. Be aware, the video contains the F word being used by little girls.

The point of the video is to educate adults regarding the inequality of women in the workplace. But, what does it actually say to you? Can you get past the excessive use of the F-bomb by little girls and hear the message? Do you think the message could have been just as easily spread without the use of the word?

The morning show I listened to had strong opinions because of the word usage. They discussed whether they would let their children see it. Well, no. Its not for kids people. Its meant for adults, to shock the adult conscience. I would not let my child watch the video, but I as an adult woman who has experienced unequal treatment in the workplace get it. The one fact that struck with me was that women who make all A's in college are paid the same amount as men who made C's. I experienced this firsthand. It makes me angry,

I am not sure how I feel about the video in general. I love the message and think its one that needs to be spread, but I am not sure this is the right way to do it. I applaud the makers for speaking up and out. I can, however, see the concern by others for the way the message is dealt with in this video. Do I think its male-bashing? No. Do I think its extreme-feminism? No.

I think its one take on an issue that has plagued women since the dawn of time, What do you think?

4 comments:

P!nkyOctober 23, 2014 at 6:29 AM
I'm with you, in the sense I understand the shock value of it, but watching lil girls drop the f bomb doesn't sit well with me, personally. I know some of the struggles you've faced and find it repulsive, especially in this day and age. It's a shame that strong, beautiful women have to worry about how they look and act when dudes can do whatever they want.
JessicaOctober 23, 2014 at 6:41 AM
I totally support the message. 100%. It's disgusting that in 2014 we are still dealing with this issue. However, I really feel like the importance of the message got completely lost amidst the "shock value" of those little girls cussing. In fact, I think it was rather exploitative. And having them dress as princesses? And talk like divas? Killed it for me. It felt like yet another stereotype of women, with some bad words thrown in. Nope. That company needs to try again with a different concept. The idea is important and needs to be spread. But not like that.

In fact, now that I'm thinking about it...Why can't men or little boys also be part of the campaign to show that it's not just women that support a change in this obvious inequality? I would love to see guys standing up and asking why their moms, aunts, grandmas, wives and girlfriends aren't getting paid as much as the men they work with. That would be an interesting point of view.
JennOctober 23, 2014 at 6:43 AM
Yeah...Im not a fan of the girls cussing...I get the point but I dont like it. And now people will focus on that instead of the real issue at hand. Have you seen Emma Watson's speech on this topic? It's pretty awesome....and no cuss words! :)
BitzyOctober 23, 2014 at 9:15 AM
I also think it's a valid message but don't really like that it involved the young girls cursing. However, we live in a "click-bait" driven media landscape now and the fact that we're having a conversation about it proves that the marketing company, however much we personally might disagree with the method, has had great success in getting the message out there.