Comments on Womanist Musings: Pepsi For A Rape Opportunity

God, that is vile. I can't imagine how this is amu...

2008-11-16T23:37:12.181-05:00

God, that is vile. I can't imagine how this is amusing--and reminds me of a horrible personal experience with someone I should have been able to trust.

This is disgusting. I hope that Pepsi is laced with cynide.

Shakesville has an update to this.

2008-10-20T15:37:52.518-04:00

Shakesville has an update to this.

http://feministe.us/blog/archives/2008/10/20/a-res...

2008-10-20T15:35:52.899-04:00

http://feministe.us/blog/archives/2008/10/20/a-response-from-pepsi/

Those dark clouds in the background - do they prov...

2008-10-20T14:04:00.259-04:00

Those dark clouds in the background - do they provide support for the sinister elements of the scene in the foreground?

el squidge:The kid gets to put his mouth on her. T...

2008-10-20T10:46:33.094-04:00

el squidge:

The kid gets to put his mouth on her. That's the obvious message. He's not trading a pepsi to save an old lady from a burning building.

I sent a complaint. This is what I said:"Your ad d...

2008-10-20T10:44:26.702-04:00

I sent a complaint. This is what I said:

"Your ad depicting a lifeguard trading a Pepsi to a kid for the opportunity to have his way with a sexy unconsious woman is beyond offensive. Sexual assault is not funny or cute. "

Brinstar and Sparky, the boy has a leering express...

2008-10-20T05:13:45.609-04:00

Brinstar and Sparky, the boy has a leering expression on his face and his eyes are pointed at the unconscious woman's breasts.

As Thewhatifgirl mentioned, the ad campaign has the theme of Pepsi allowing you do things you only dreamed about. In this case, the boy is exchanging a can of Pepsi for the lifeguard's permission to do CPR on the woman. The boy's delight seems clearly to be related to his chance to squeeze her breast(s). In this ad, the the lifeguard controls the woman's body, he gives permission - she does not.

What Renee said. I don't equate kissing a sleepin...

2008-10-20T00:14:32.387-04:00

What Renee said. I don't equate kissing a sleeping loved one with buying a shot at an unconscious and dying stranger.

@sparky the snarling look on this kids face is har...

2008-10-19T19:33:47.891-04:00

@sparky the snarling look on this kids face is hardly the same expression that one would have on their face when they were seeking to be affectionate with a loved one. Clearly this little ad is not promoting love, it is promoting sexual assault.

So Sunless Nick,If I kiss my wife(or girlfriend) w...

2008-10-19T19:28:11.176-04:00

So Sunless Nick,

If I kiss my wife(or girlfriend) while she is sleeping, is that sexual assualt? She never asked for it, but I just know that she wants it. How do I know? After I kiss her, she pulls closer to me and she feels loved.

Of course you have already defined it as sexual assault. I don't understand that one. Americans have went too far overboard on many things because they have lost their common sense.

I personally find the ad disgusting not because of what it is suggesting but because they are using a barely dressed woman to sell a product.

If you look at the other ads that Dale linked too,...

2008-10-19T16:39:16.695-04:00

If you look at the other ads that Dale linked too, it is obvious that it's all about access to the woman.

Does it occur to those of you who say he just wants a kiss that maybe the woman wouldn't want to kiss him?

I will say, too, that when I was almost raped, he was kissing me. It was still sexual assault and still would have been rape if he had succeeded.

~~~i can't believe you're comparing a child kissin...

2008-10-19T14:45:19.851-04:00

~~~i can't believe you're comparing a child kissing a sleeping adult with sexual assault~~~

head explodes...

el sqidge - Even if your (rather generous) interpr...

2008-10-19T06:12:45.530-04:00

el sqidge - Even if your (rather generous) interpretation was the intended message, the ad is still problematic. In that scenario the woman is still being presented as a sexual object, something to be traded.

This image is triggering for rape survivors, whatever the thoughts behind it. I suggest you read Portly Dyke's comment at Shakesville on the impact this ad had on her.

The kid's eyes are not on her face, so I doubt tha...

2008-10-18T21:14:31.898-04:00

The kid's eyes are not on her face, so I doubt that kissing her is on his mind.

I don't understand how some of the commenters here...

2008-10-18T20:37:34.552-04:00

I don't understand how some of the commenters here think that non-consentual contact (kid attempting to kiss unconscious woman) is not deeply wrong and offensive in any way, shape, or form. The woman is in no position to give consent or permission to anyone to touch her. If you substitute the kid for a middle-adged adult male, maybe the rape apologists here would understand how deeply troubling this advertisement is. Just because it's a kid standing over the woman doesn't make it any less offensive or wrong.

Your own words keep bringing up the attractiveness...

2008-10-18T19:56:17.121-04:00

Your own words keep bringing up the attractiveness of the dying (not sleeping) woman, and that being the kid's motive. Attractiveness being a factor means the implied intent is sexualised.

With the leer plastered all over his face? You be...

2008-10-18T19:48:47.915-04:00

With the leer plastered all over his face? You betcha I am.

i can't believe you're comparing a child kissing a...

2008-10-18T19:41:35.445-04:00

i can't believe you're comparing a child kissing a sleeping adult with sexual assault

kissing is not the same as raping. nor is it a vio...

2008-10-18T19:38:28.339-04:00

kissing is not the same as raping. nor is it a violent act.

Kissing someone without their permission may not be the same as rape, but is sexual assault, and sexual assault is always violent.

um... i'm looking at this ad, and i don't see how ...

2008-10-18T19:37:05.316-04:00

um... i'm looking at this ad, and i don't see how the lifeguard is inviting the little boy to rape the woman.

Really? Because you go on to say:

traditional lifeguard gags will imply that the joke is that the little boy will kiss the woman while performing CPR.

... in other words, mix sexual assault in with the first aid.

it's called "humor".

Well, if you find sexual assault funny, it might be.

[SunlessNick]

that sort of comparison is flawed. the pepsi is no...

2008-10-18T19:36:34.264-04:00

that sort of comparison is flawed. the pepsi is not a metaphorical roofie, the woman has obviously not had any. the deal is that the lifeguard is accepting the pepsi so that the boy can wear the t-shirt so that he can kiss the woman. kissing is not the same as raping. nor is it a violent act.

too much of a stretch.

To all of you who cannot see how this incites viol...

2008-10-18T19:20:25.931-04:00

To all of you who cannot see how this incites violence against women, I want you to think about why it is that women don't leave their drinks unattended when they are in a bar...they don't because they might get slipped a roofie which would make them susceptible to rape. When a woman is incapacitated the rapist then takes advantage with her. This ad is the same sort of analogy with the Pepsi can substituting for the roofie.
I cannot believe that I had to explain why this ad is harmful and promotes violence.

um... i'm looking at this ad, and i don't see how ...

2008-10-18T19:08:07.080-04:00

um... i'm looking at this ad, and i don't see how the lifeguard is inviting the little boy to rape the woman. he's trading a t-shirt for a pepsi. traditional lifeguard gags will imply that the joke is that the little boy will kiss the woman while performing CPR. it's called "humor". the underage boy will get to kiss an attractive woman.

i am a feminist, but seeing this as encouraging a violent act towards women is a bit of a stretch.

This ad is not right at all.

2008-10-18T18:38:43.007-04:00

This ad is not right at all.

I think the scenario the viewer's supposed to see ...

2008-10-18T13:51:56.792-04:00

I think the scenario the viewer's supposed to see is the kid trades for the lifeguard's shirt and then she wakes up and thinks the kid saved her and goes "My Hero!"

I mean, if the kid's trading the Pepsi for the lifeguard to look the other way while he assaults her, why would the kid need the shirt?