Reality Television has warped the ideology of America

Media has a huge influence on society and the people in it. But out of all the mediums of media out there, I would have to say that Television has the most direct correlation in shaping the ideology of American culture.

From it's humble beginnings of family friendly and education shows to the graphic depictions of sex and violence we now see even on cable stations, television has become America's guilty pleasure.  And our guiltiest pleasure yet is the invasion of Reality TV. Seeing people who were once "normal" people catapulted into stardom for doing absolutely...get this...NOTHING, has the public in a delusional mindset. Now that anyone can be a star for doing nothing, millions of people rationalize that they too could be famous for the very same thing. Never before has television affected the ideals and dreams of an entire society in this magnitude, and in such a dis-heartning way.  "So many kids today believe they have an inalienable right to be famous. Kids used to say, 'I want to be a designer, or an athlete or a writer.' Now they just say they want to be famous."-newsobserver.com  How country has been shaped throughout the last sixty-plus decades by the images and people we see portrayed on TV. How will our society be affected by this obsession? Who will be our leaders and educated professionals twenty years down the road in a society who dreams of it's 15 minutes of fame?

According to a piece from The Museum of Broadcast Communications, "...the public often assumes that television fictional representations of the family have a strong impact on actual families in America. For this reason people have often also assumed that these fictional households ought to mirror not simply family life in general, but their own personal values regarding it. " This statement has held it's truth throughout the entirety of television.

The ideal of American culture fifty to sixty years was one of hard work and family. Hard work equalled provision for one's family, and in return, that was how "success" was measured; Quality of life, not quantity. Family was the most important entity in one's life. In the 1950's and 1960's, television was becoming more popular in homes across the country, and families tuned in to such shows as The Andy Griffith Show and The Beverly Hillbillies. These shows, while comical, focused on the institution of family and every character followed a moral compass. The values of family, selflessness, hard work and honesty were all deep-seed throughout the lines of slapstick and satire. And in the 1950's families did function very similar to the families they saw on TV.





With the 70's came a new wave of television shows. They were now all in color, making them seem even more "real" to watch. It brought us The Dukes of Hazard, The Partridge Family, the Brady Bunch and Happy Days; many of the classic shows that have became a family name. The humor got more satirical and the clothing and actions a bit more racy, which in turn was reflected in the American public. We as viewers developed this mind-set that if it was on television, than it was okay. We still think that today, wether we'd like to acknowledge it or not. But family, honesty, and hard work were still staples on television and in the home.





Then came the 1980's and the 90's. These were my childhood years. I remember watching sitcoms such as Growing Pains and The Cosby Show. I felt like I grew up with these fictional characters, and for many of us, we could relate to the comedic situations that Mike Seaver or Rudy Huxtable always seemed to get themselves into. As cable television expanded and became such a  huge part of everyday life, we saw more controversial topics brought up in dialogue and we found many of of favorite characters in compromising situations, but like any feel-good sitcom, the show always ended on a happy-point. The supporting characters, i.e. friends or family always come through in the end to help out in the last few moments. This taught us that everything is going to be alright. That as long as we have friends and family, we could make it through anything. In reality, that may not always be the case, but these shows gave us hope. They encouraged and up-lifted us, as viewers.

Then in 1992, MTV Debut the Real World. This was our first glimpse into the everyday lives of 6 strangers living together in a house, and how they interacted with each other. People became to love to watch it, but the demographic was that of 13 to 25 years old who would be watching MTV anyway. As the years went on, there were other reality shows that were interesting, but really never became what the Reality shows of the last decade have become. Over the last 10 years, reality shows have become a phenomenon. There are reality shows based on talent such as America Idol, Project Runway, and Design Star. These shows have given fame to "average" Americans who would otherwise live fairly modest lifestyles. These shows have ingrained the "New American Dream" into the heads of all the hard-working folks out there. "If only I could make it on 'whatever' reality show, I could become famous and not have to struggle for years trying to make a name for myself, it will just happen for me." The idea of these shows is unique in the respects that talented folks who would indeed work for years to build up their name or business and still maybe never achieve the success they want, can have all their dreams come true the moment their mug is appears on that show. The negative side of this is that for the people in these trades who have poured all their blood, sweat, and tears into their craft and have yet to make it to a place where they want to be professionally, see these young, inexperienced contestants become mega celebs overnight. It seems unwarranted and against what our idea of America was 50 years prior.
We all dream big, and in America anything is still possible, but the means to which we acheive those dreams has become askew.

Besides the talent based reality television shows, there have popped up a ton of dating-type reality shows. These all vary from different genders to different celebs, but the main premise is that dozens of people are all trying to "win" so to speak 1 individual. These shows are absurd. Who in their right mind would ever think, "I am going to fall in love with this person who is also dating 20 other people!" Isn't that cheating? No, that's right, it's just good ole reality TV for you! The bachelor franchise is the one that rings so clearly in my mind. How is it that one guy could think he could find his wife while dating dozens of girls at once? One minute he has his tongue down one girl mouth and two hours later, he is staying the night in a room with another girl. This is disgusting! If it weren't on TV, I highly doubt any of these women would be okay dating some guy knowing darn well that he is dating and getting very physical with any of girl, let alone dozens. It is making women and men alike de-value women even more. They are a prize to be won, not a human being to be cherished. Love is no longer something sacred, but rather lust is the driving force in our relationships, and expressed for purely entertainment purposes, not because you want to share an intimate moment with someone you love deeply. What are we teaching our daughters and sons?







The Real Housewives franchise introduced us to a whole new breed of reality show.The idea of the show is to follow these wealthy house-wives around town and see how the other half live. This experiment went wrong! These middle-aged "cougars" as many of them call themselves, are living like twenty-somethings. As you can almost track scientifically, but somewhere between the 1st and 2nd seasons, they start to let the newfound money and fame get to their botox-injected heads, and start behaving even more selfishly than many of them had already been behaving. We see them getting skinnier as the seasons pass, more plastic looking, behaving more materially. And for many of them, it has cost them their marriage and family. It is "The Curse of Reality TV." So many people who seemed so great together, end up in divorce after appearing on these shows. Is there a correlation? The most tragic of all, is that these women's' lifestyles have become so coveted by our society, that many non-reality star housewives themselves have been spending beyond their means to keep up with the "Real Housewives Ladies" or even sacrificing their marriages in hopes of finding a more lavish lifestyle or richer husband.  And who gets hurt the most in these situations, the children. They are being taught to trade-up themselves and that if things get too tough, to give up, and that true beauty is fake. Their generation will dream of money, beauty, and fame; vanity, all vanity! 


As seem in these two links below from the Real Housewives of OC, the daughters of one of the stars are drunk with their parents and gone all hours of the night and what are the repercussions? Nothing. The one daughter even says she'd like to be disciplined, but never is. What 17 year old who say this? One that is crying out for attention, but is being ignore because her mother is too busy trying to ride her cash cow to the bank.
The Real Housewives of Orange County Season 5 - Going Through the Motions of Parenting - Video - Bravo TV Official Site


The Real Housewives of Orange County Season 5 - Underage Drinking - Video - Bravo TV Official Site




And lastly we get to the most atrocious of all reality shows...the teen and young-adult-based reality TV shows. Shows like The Hills, Laguna Beach, Teen Mom, Jersey Shore, and 16 and Pregnant. From a marketing stand-point, a large chunk of your demographic are viewers 13 to 25, so why not have shows with people in that age-group.


The problem is that these young teens and adults are having their lives glamorized and thus, all the young people watching these shows wants the life they see portrayed on the screen. The Teen mom and 16 and Pregnant aren't producing these A-list celebs like The Hills and Jersey Shore are, but they are definitely glamorizing fairly unglamorous situations in young girls' lives. "I guess it's cool to get pregnant in high school because those girls on MTV did it and they turned out fine." No it is not ok!  I am so pro-life, and if you do get pregnant, then I totally support having that baby, but here's a novel idea; don't have sex! You are a baby yourself. Children, although blessings, are also such work and the end of your young life. No more parties or football games for you. It really urks me that their are shows out their promoting young mothers. 




The Jersey Shore and The Hills are probably the most popular of this style of reality TV shows. The American  viewing public has become obsessed to say the least with these young party animals who galavant around town, dancing, drinking, and causing drama. Oh and did I mention they get paid millions of dollars a year to do it?  Do they have any sort of craft or trade? No. Do they compete for this money? No. What do they do then to earn such an outlandish wage? Nothing at all. And in this lies the reason that so many young people want to be the next Lauren Conrad, or Snooki. A person can make millions of dollars a year for just going out to eat, and shopping all the time, and going out to clubs every night. You never have to step foot into a real job if you didn't want to and you can branch out into singing, designing, or whatever else your heart desires, and make a killing it it too, even if you don't have the talent to do so, just because of who you are Who wouldn't want that lifestyle?

So what is to become of reality TV? Americans have gotten a taste of it, and can't help themselves in our gluttony. I myself have seen my fair share of these same shows that I know are ridiculous representations of society as a whole. That being said, I think it will be around for years to come, and we will only see the envelope being pushed even more in respects of who and what will see unfold. I guess our only hope for our children is to instill the morals and values that we have within ourselves, and hope that we raise them right. Teach them the value of hard work, education, humanity and caring. Teach them that the American dream can still be one of hard work and perseverance. The value of a job well done, and also monitor what they are watching, because everything looks so glamorous on TV. And if they do watch reality television, use it as a guide for "What not to do and how not to behave!"

Starbucks, the Next Global McDonalds

The logo above is one that I think pretty much anyone in America could plainly recognize, and before too long, most people in the world will be able to do the same. Starbucks and it's trademark green and brown mermaid logo has become synonymous, not just for great coffee, but for this elitist beverage experience one gets when having their Starbucks.  Starbucks Coffee originated in Seattle WA in the early 80's. It's first store was in the Pike Place Market which is primarily a fishing town, thus the logo was based around this mermaid siren. The meaning behind the Starbucks mermaid was that Starbucks coffee was intended to be as seductive as this siren. The logo has changed twice over the course of the company thus far and has become more modern looking and a little more politically correct. The original logo had a bare chested mermaid. Although Starbucks started in a cool fishing town in the hub of the Seattle area, the brand has now evolved to this American standard of identity. I would think that people from other countries who have had any sort of exposure to our western culture would assume that "all American's drink Starbucks." That is not the case, but the coffee has somewhat shaped this ideology of an American lifestyle complete with your laptop snuggled up in a comfy chair and a hot latte at your local Starbucks.

Starbucks Coffee has become the America's Coffee. And with their global expansion moving as quickly as it has been, Starbucks is on it's way to becoming the next McDonalds. In the business sense: McDonalds sells nasty food and Starbucks coffee is pretty amazing!Over the last decade, Starbucks has grown exponentially. Their stores are popping up all over the US, with stores on both ends of city blocks in certain larger cities. But not only has their growth been so rapid in our country, but their global expansion is growing in leaps and bounds as well. As you can see by this ingenious diagram below, Starbucks is now in dozens of countries across the world.


But not only are they uniting very different people and cultures by exceptional coffee, but with this expansion, Starbucks Corporate is able to use resources from all around the world to make a single cup of coffee. The ridiculous $5 we pay for a latte is filtered through the organization and a cut of it is paying some of the poorest countries to harvest the coffee beans, or to pick and clean the cane sugar, or to feed and milk the cows that they use in their drinks. The Starbucks company, although they are making absurd amounts of money, are still making an effort to find the finest resources while employing workers in poverty-strucken countries.

And as you can see by the diagram, the US naturally has the most Starbucks stores in the world, but it is unusual and amazing at the same time to see some the the Starbucks locations in other countries.
Here are just a few:

RUSSIA

China

Korea

Dubai

Paris

Even in the Louvre!

And here is a Map of Downtown NYC. Every single red dot is a Starbucks (not just the larger Letters)

CRAZY!

They are EVERYWHERE!

....but for an addict like me, I guess that's a good thing:)

Science in Pictures

Without the advancements in both science and technology, we as humans would not be able to have the first person perspective of such events as finding out the sex of your baby, or getting to see the magnificence that is the planet we live on.

With the advancements in science, we are now able to see not only what sex our child growing in our womb will look like, but also, what he or she may look like. I know to some people these 3D ultrasound pictures may look a bit creepy, but as a mother of three, I think they are so precious. You can actually see your baby before you actually get to hold them in your arms. Who would of thought even 10 years ago that this could be a reality some day?

With the endless amounts of satellites that orbit our planet everyday, anyone can now see,  what only a few handfuls of astronauts had ever seen before: EARTH from space. It is magnificent. Seeing this picture makes me think of God and his glorious creations. How wonderfully made we are and everything around us was too. It is quite spectacular to see our Planet from this perspective.

Saturday Night Live (SNL) - The Miley Cyrus Show Parody (HD)

Above is a video done by the amazing SNL cast entitled," The Miley Cyrus Show." It is a combination of a pastiche and parody wrapped into a few minutes of hilarious entertainment. I assume that almost every person in the US, or at least everyone who has a television and/or internet, knows who Miley Cyrus is. But, unless you have had the pleasure, and I use that term loosely, to have seen Hannah Montana on Disney channel, you may not "get" the hilarity of this clip.

I have two small children, so I have seen my fair share of Hannah and Miley. The actress in this skit is dead-on in her imitation of Miley. That is why this video is a bit of a pastiche. Miley has that southern twang, the really big teeth smile, and she does talk very fast and say such things as, "shaalllow." It is also a parody in the fact that this video is also making fun of Miley. Everything is over-exaggerated. Her twang, the rambling dialogue, the over dramatic looks, the relationship with her and her dad, Billy Ray, her self-centerness, and over dramatic attitude and lack of acting skills are all over-exaggerated and that is what makes this video a parody. And truthfully, that's where we get the humor from. It's funny because there is truth to the performance, but acted out in such a way that as a viewer we are left laughing, not saying, "poor Miley, they are making fun of her." It is truly one of my favorite SNL clips right now. I hope you too enjoy!

Advertising is all about trying to sell products through imagery. I think almost every American over the age of 12 can identify this ad:

It is the iconic Air Jordan symbol. It for many represents the American dream: overcoming our short comings and persevering until we do in fact reach our dreams. It is now a trademarked brand and logo because of how the American consumer embraced Michael Jordan's underdog story and him, as an athlete and as a human being. Now as a brand, it represents almost an elitist club-"amazing athletes need the equipment from an amazing athlete." Not only does this brand reach out to serious athletes but has also become a somewhat fashion forward brand as far as athletic ear is concerned. Many young rap and R&B artists have been spotted wearing their Air Jordan shoes or clothing. This ad speaks to both these demographics, but also to anyone who's heartstrings would be tugged just by seeing this image and reliving the first time they saw Michael flying through the air! The Air Jordan brand fills the need of to be a part of something great. A sense of belonging to a group with a man that captivated our hearts. We too can be "a Jordan" by wearing Air Jordan. That being said while their are many of us that will revel in those feelings of MJ when seeing this symbol, such as myself, I won't be out buying and Air Jordan stuff anytime soon. I feel that many woman and especially the 40+ crowd would not be heavily persuaded by this ad, Air Jordan is a more youthful label.

Here is another ad that most people are familiar with: it is one the famous Corona beach ads. These as always feature a man and woman relaxing on a beautiful beach with their Coronas. Corona is connoting a feeling of relaxation and pure bliss with these ads. You too could be sexy, just vacationing your life away if you drink Corona! Many alcohol companies sell sex and partying, but Corona sells oasis living. Obviously they are marketing these ads to adults over 21 years of age  who need to feel their need for a little time out in their lives. We as Americans run and run and run ourselves all day long, we really feel the longing to slow down the pace and Corona gives us this image of what we long for: relaxation and peace! Does it deliver? I don't drink alcohol so you'll have to be your own judge..... I don't believe that certain "other beer brand drinkers" would be too persuaded b y this ad. I know many people who are die hard to one brand of beer and I don't this ad would bring any feelings of relaxation and bliss. 

This next ad is for fashion designer Michael Kors. You know the expression, "The clothes make the man" or should I say "woman?" That is exactly what Kors is selling. The picture itself shows a very attractive woman stepping out of a fancy car, all put together with her high-end sexy-yet-polished fashion. She seems to have it all together. It is screaming "Woman of the world, envy me." And we as normal woman of the world, often do. The reality of this photograph is that this girl is actually 16, not mid 20's or 30's as they would have you to perceive. Her hips have not yet widened from having babies nor has her skin started to sag in certain areas due to time and gravity. But still many of of look at her and think, "I wish I looked like that." 

Because of advertisements such as this one, men have engrained this idea of a woman into their heads and woman feel like they need to compete with this woman. We have given ourselves as woman such low self esteem and this need for physical beauty to feel that void. That is why fashion ads have and will continue to target woman in their 20's to 50's. And that is why fashion advertisements will only continue to get smaller and "sexier" models in them, to further our complex and increase their bottom line. Men are less likely to see this ad, and go out and buy a Fall 2010 Michael Kors dress. They don't have this constant stream of media telling them that they need to be skinnier, prettier, and more fashion-foward to be of value.

Well, whatever the product is, the advertisement behind it, will not only be marketing a product, but rather an ideal or hope of what life could be like if you too owned such an amazing product! 

The ethical impact that the creation of the internet has had on American society is astounding. Twenty years ago, if some would have showed you a video of a car accident where someone had died, or a video of someone getting beat senseless, you would think that person was masochistic. But now American society uploads videos such as these to YouTube for entertainment purposes and then forwards these videos to everyone on there email list. What has become of our society?  

The Internet was created to make us all be able to communicate with one another, no matter the distance that divides us. It is suppose to be a tool to facilitate us at work, help us gain valuable knowledge that was once out of our reach, and to make it easier to perform certain tasks like shopping, mailing, and staying connected with friends and family. I am a technology kid and I spend a majority of my day on the computer and would be lost without, however, I do think that with the continually expansion of once-restricted material on internet, we are losing a since of morals and good-nature.

I think that we as human beings have become very desensitized to many things because of the exponential growth of media such as the internet. All the graphic images we are exposed to everyday we sign onto the world wide web, has made our hearts calloused. It's as if we have trained our brains to think that because we are seeing these horrible things through a piece of glass, it's not real. But the truth is that when someone views a man physically assaulting a woman on the computer, and they brush it off as entertainment, they are losing some of the values and morals that once made this country very safe and respectable. The constant desensitizing that goes on in the minds of all Americans, may somewhat be responsible for many of the horrific crimes that happen everyday in the US. Decades ago, events such as the ones we see and hear about daily were more isolated and few and far between. Today, it is commonplace. It's so sad, but true.

Of Course, the ethical ramifications of the internet are not only isolated to violent crimes and death desensitizing. But we as Americans have become more lazy post Internet. Prior to the birth of the information super highway, when we needed to know something, we had to research it, whether that meant breaking out the old encyclopedias, or going to the library to reading some books. Either way, we had to invest the time and effort. Now all the effort that is required is typing in a few words into a search engine such as Google and we have an almost limitless library of resources at our fingertips. That is awesome, don't get me wrong, but it has made us lazy. And in some cases, it can help us become cheaters. I know there are many people out there that have used the internet to look up answers to questions on tests, help them figure out math problems, and there are even sites out there that have written essays that people can buy and then pass off as their own work! Were is the moral code in that? It's as if people on this side of the piece of glass feel there is a since of anonymity , thus they will never get caught. That is the mindset.

As the development of the Internet and all it entails grows and grows, I foresee the ethical standard will dwindle and diminish. The infamous "Where's the line?" question we have all heard and seen, used in any literature that talks about ethical behavior has been crossed time and I fear will continue to be crossed and pushed further and further away from the moral standard that once governed this great country.

Change: for the better or for the worse?

During the last Presidential election, we saw this iconic image everywhere. From television to print media, on billboards and all over the internet. For many people this image invoked an idea of change. An idea of a better life; and idea of hope.

Fast forward two years. Does this image hold the same meanings it once did. I can't speak for everyone, but I would suggest that it does not! I was never an Obama supporter, but know many people who were. I emphasize were, because these particular people would try and jam Obama and his ideology down my throat, but now these same people are just as frustrated as myself with the current situation with our Government. Now for many, this same image evokes feelings of disappointment, broken promises, and frustration. There have also been many interpretations of this image such as socialist implications as seen below.

Bubble Spinner

http://www.addictinggames.com/bubblespinner2.html




Here is the link to a video game called Bubble spinner. I am not a huge video game person, but I did get a bit addicted to this game a year ago for a few weeks after a friend of mine showed it to me. I grew up playing Tetris. It is my all-time favorite game. Apparently I am a sucker for the color-coding matching games. Why? I don't quite know. Maybe because I am such a visual person or maybe it is  haphazard nature of these "think-fast" video games. Maybe it is both.

In Bubble Spinner, the player has an isometric perception with a subjective gaze; it's basically a bunch of ball you see from, an aerial angle and you are an arrow shooting more balls at the ball mass. The visual technology behind this game is nothing compared to the advances in video gaming technology that we see on television daily. It is very reminiscent of the early video games that I grew up playing years ago, and that may be why I am often pulled towards these puzzle-type games. It is a game that I can play for 10 minutes to get my mind off other things, but yet I can walk away from it and come back to reality.

Norms and Otherness

. Find three advertisements that establish both norms and "otherness" in images and/or text.

2. Embed the actual ad (or a link to the ad) in your blog.

3. (a) Explain the primary binary oppositions at work here -- e.g., the norms and otherness. Speculate on how the advertisements are perpetuating discourse and power.

I came across these 3 advertisements that are completely different from one another in what they are selling, promoting, and their target audience, but even within each advertisement, there is a binary opposition. 2 very different takes on 1 print ad. The power of these ads lies in the eyes and heart of the person viewing them, and how they allow their imagery to relate to their situation and walk of life.

The first ad was taken out of an African Magazine. The visual impression I got from this ad was one that is somewhat flaunting or promoting sexuality, which is the norm in everyday society to see a women in a bathing suit on the cover of a magazine, but the text reveals a completely different story.  A story of torture, sexual assault and ultimately death. It is beyond heart-wrenching, the situation that persists in Africa. People dying daily. Babies being orphaned because their mothers died from AIDS. Babies, women, and children being raped repeatedly, the torture they endure in Kenya is beyond belief, and yet while the story is telling us, as readers, that. The visual story is a completely different story. We as spectators need to become educated in what we read and see, and how to interpret it.

The second ad I came across was quite cute and comical.

This is an ad for eyewear.  The  main idea behind this clever ad is that you can re-invent your look with a new pair of glasses. This company is using the power of persuasion to allude that without their eyewear, you are living on the left-hand side of things: a butcher, a hells angel, and a truck driver; most of which may not be perceived as glamourous lifestyles, but with their eyewear, you are now an artist, a fashion designer, and/or dr. professor. These glasses change your whole per sauna. The norm is that is truthfully the underlying message of becoming a better you, that is the driving force behind American Modern Society, and the other would be the clever way it was presented, with the imagery so dead on to the perceptions of our society.

The third ad I came across was one for suicide awareness. Visually, this ad is very cute and clever. There are little cutout people dangling from a page, but the reality of what this ad stands for is anything but cute. It is a battle cry to the lonely and depressed. The norm in this ad is the very clever imagery and photographic appeal, but the otherness is the ideology behind the advertisement.  The imagery itself is a bit opposing. The cut outs are not only dangling their lives by just a few fibers of paper, but it is also themselves that are the only ones who can save themselves. (I know the wording is confusing, but visually, you see it is the shadow of themselves that is holding them, keeping them from their plummet to death. The visual interpretation is powerful.

WE ARE ALL MEAT!

I came across this controversial advertisement or protest of sorts that PETA had staged on a busy block in Manhattan to promote vegetarianism, but did it work? I don't know...

The nearly nude PETA activists laid inside large foam trays wrapped with cellophane and covered in fake blood.  The "stunt" was a visual representation that we as humans are living breathing beings, such as the animals that humans eat everyday. Would we ever think about eating another human? Heavens no, or if so, you should be committed. But this was the the intent of this protest: to see animals as living creatures not a steak or chop.

I am vegetarian myself and the image of this was a little disheartening for me to look at, but if I weren't vegetarian, I truthfully don't know if this act would have persuaded me to re-think my eating habits. Many people were disgusted, as would I be too, because I am unable to handle the site of blood at all, but did their disgust eternalize into questioning their eating behaviors, or anger? For many, it was anger.

I am not anti PETA, but I am also not a PETA activist. When it comes to my eating choices, I feel they are my own personal opinion and if people ask me why I am vegetarian, I will share it with them, but I am not one to shove my opinion down someone else's throat. I feel it is each person's personal choice to be whatever type of eater they want to be. It is none of my business.  That being said, I feel that PETA is a little over the top when it comes to their publicity and advertisement charades. For example, they have this entire advertisement line of "I'd rather be naked than wear fur." It is really provocative pictures of celebrity women naked. The irony between these two advertisements that stemmed from the same company is that in the "Meat is Murder" protest, they are saying animals, along with humans, are not pieces of meat, but yet in their "I'd Rather be Naked" campaign, they are subjectifying these women's bodies like they ARE pieces of meat, figuratively speaking. And truthfully, the nearly nude women in the cellophane-wrapped trays are still showing off their bodies for onlookers to ogle at.

Was that PETA's intent? They say no, but as photo shoot after photo shoot, & advertisement after advertisement show, there is a very strong sexual undertone in almost all of PETA's ads. I guess it goes back to the expression, "The meanings in the viewer." You be the judge!