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Sisterhood™: Hyping the Female Market
This video takes an analytical and humorous stab at the plethora of “pro-feminist” advertising that followed the emergence of the “new woman” and the increasing presence of women in the workforce during the 1990s. Conventional television genres are appropriated to show how the language and sentiments of feminism have been exploited by the advertising of an industry which cares little for the rights of its own female workers. Through critical examinations of Nike advertising, this show explores the corporate co-optation of feminism that creates a superficial form of “ feminine” empowerment, offering female consumer’s freedom of choice—that is, freedom to choose between a wide array of products. This whitewashed, benign and entirely marketable feminism not only undermines the accomplishments of the woman’s movement but also diverts consumers’ attention away from the social and economic injustices that affect women globally. This co-opting of feminist rhetoric is particularly egregious in the face of the threatened rights of female workers, as evidenced by Nike’s very own questionable and hypocritical overseas’ labor practices. Produced by Paper Tiger West. Conventional television genres are appropriated to show how the language and sentiments of feminism have been co-opted by the advertising of an industry which cares little for the rights of its own female workers. Produced by Paper Tiger SouthWest.
1993 TRT: 25 minutes #241