Put a [football] sock in it, Le Mall!
Ooohhh.. hihihi *giggle* *giggle* I didn’t know Kaká was a football player!
Ooohhh.. hihihihihi.. I swoooon over hot Italian boys chasing balls…!!
Images from Beirut NTSC
Put a [football] sock in it, Le Mall! You think girls don’t know football? You think we can’t side with a team based on their skills? You think we’re only interested in the World Cup because our boyfriends, husbands, and brothers are? You think we can’t dribble and tackle and score ourselves?
Again, females are portrayed as bimbos, big-boobed (and soccer-ball-boobed as well) and strapped to a foosball table, totally ignorant about sports (as if sports were a male-only arena) and waiting for boys to “take her to the game.”
What people don’t seem to understand is that advertising not only mirrors people’s behavior. People’s behavior imitates what they see in the media as well. We reinforce images and stereotypes of any group people when we use them on billboards and TV ads. In the case of Le Mall, not only is this stereotype false of most women, it is also offensive to those of us who are constantly dismissed by men who think they own all copyrights on sports. I find it odd that Tarek Chemaly, the fantastic blogger behind Beirut/NTSC (Never Twice Same City), calls the ads “a gem of art direction and copywriting most needed when all other ads are copycats” and writes:
Obviously, for girls football is whatever their boyfriends or partners do when they are adjusting their mascara, applying night cream, or gossiping on the phone about the latest news with their own female friends (whose partners are naturally watching the game).
Also, check out the post Bring Your Woman Along on Lorena’s Epiphany which starts to see the problem with the ads but falls short of acknowledging the sexism in them. Come on Loryne, you’re almost there!
Oooohh.. baby.. you’re such a strong man!! Please explain football to me.. *giggle* *giggle*…
Does it take balls to watch football?
Category: Body Image, Featured, Feminism & Media
Thank you Nadine !!!
“…advertising not only mirrors people’s behavior. People’s behavior imitates what they see in the media as well. ”
So you’re saying women are too dumb to think for themselves?
Great article! Thank you
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Nasawiya, Nadine Moawad. Nadine Moawad said: Ooohhh.. hihihi *giggle* I didn’t know Kaká was a football player! http://bit.ly/cXApi8 Put a sock in it, Le Mall! #sawtalniswa #worldcup [...]
Seriously Tarek Chemaly?!
whenever we see a small progress in our society and hope it is growing out of these stupid sexist stereotypes, these ads (and the people behind them) come back to hit us in the face and prove how much of a hopeless case our patriarchal society is
enno mashunnnaaa! fi shi ba3ed ma3ala2to 3alehhh!
[...] Nadine Moawad: What people don’t seem to understand is that advertising not only mirrors people’s behavior. People’s behavior imitates what they see in the media as well. We reinforce images and stereotypes of any group people when we use them on billboards and TV ads. In the case of Le Mall, not only is this stereotype false of most women, it is also offensive to those of us who are constantly dismissed by men who think they own all copyrights on sports Do you like this post? Would you like to be always updated with new posts on this website? If so, please subscribe to this blog's RSS feed? (tell me more) Share This Post: Print it: Email it: –> [...]
it doesn’t take balls to watch or play football. it takes balls to write such an article.
thank u Nad.
Ah, by the way, we won the Lebanese girl’s Soccer Championship.
and they wonder why does the society think sports & football should only concern men
disrepectful clueless ads like these make people more and more aware how gender discriminate we are
in case you dont know what the world cup and teams are the players and soo on, simply dont talk or write
if are ignorant about a certain subject u read to educate yourself, so do the same when it come to sports
and stop giving excuses and thinking its girly or cute
whats the point,
stupid ad… thanks Nadine…..
thanks nadine..and whats funny at my case is that i know about football more than any man that i know..and for that they think i shouldnt have been born as a girl !!!
While I get while you’re coming from and I actually don’t like the ads, from a creative point of view. I think you’re over thinking this. Fact is that while the majority of guys are interested in football, the majority of women aren’t. In fact, the majority of women will only get interested once every 4 years, to support their team in the world cup. Now, the stereotype that NO women know about football is very different from that fact. I think the ads play on the former, rather than the latter. And, after all, an ad’s purpose is to boost sales by appealing to a majority.
I also agree with the comment that challenges the notion that people imitate what they see in the media. If a woman gives up on her passion of football because the media’s portrayal of her says she should, tough luck for women! And I personally wouldn’t find one man who would be happy to have a conversation with a woman who’s into football. And if that man is going to get swayed by media so easily, then he is not even worth anybody’s time
And finally, I find it beyond ironic that a comment on an article supposed to tackle gender stereotypes goes like this ” It doesn’t take balls to watch or play football. It takes balls to write such an article”. Is associating balls with courage (The mother of all stereotypes!!!) alright then?
Thanks finally one comment that makes sense.
At least you don’t live with Le Mall. My sister knows nothing about football, she only cheers for a team if its players are cute.
She drives m crazy… I can’t live with someone this shallow, and racist, and sexist. I can’t believe that she even calls herself a woman.
But then again, she’s my sister, so she’s my problem.
At least you don’t live with Le Mall. My sister knows nothing about football, she only cheers for a team if its players are cute.
She drives m crazy… I can’t live with someone this shallow, and racist, and sexist. I can’t believe that she even calls herself a woman.
But then again, she’s my sister, so she’s my problem.