Wednesday, April 11, 2018

Imagine a Man

In my younger days, I kept a file of sexist ads. Sometimes the thing that makes it sexist is the way the woman is posed: bashful knee bend and licensed withdrawal of her gaze are two of the ones I remember.

Yesterday I saw this ad (apologies for the blurry photo), and while its subject does look directly at the viewer, her pose is quite another thing:


This is a dentist. A professional woman. What is she doing posing like a person watching TV, or (less charitably) an old-fashioned pin-up girl?

Okay, maybe this photo doesn't strike other viewers as sexist. But tell me: can you imagine a male dentist posing like this for an ad promoting his practice?
Posted at

2 comments:

  1. Michael LeddyApril 11, 2018 at 8:16 PM

    “Can you imagine a male dentist posing like this for an ad promoting his practice?”

    No. It’s especially odd that this dentist isn’t dressed like a dentist. But to sit like so in a dental smock might be even stranger. I was going to say that I’d like to think that however old this ad is, I would’ve thought it odd even back then. But then I saw the URL and realized it’s a current ad, which makes it even more bizarre.

    My dentist, by the way, is a man, close to ninety, with no time for poses. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Daughter Number ThreeApril 15, 2018 at 3:48 PM

    I try to picture my male dentist posed this way - whether in his street clothes or his scrubs - and I just laugh.

    ReplyDelete

Comments are moderated, so don't be surprised when yours doesn't appear immediately. Please only submit once.