Fierce, a magazine which I frequently write for, has been featuring a full-page advertisement that apparently has some readers in a tizzy to such an extent that many readers have cancelled their subscriptions to the magazine. But I can’t quite make sense of why some readers are up in arms. This isn’t another Details saga. This advertisement is more along the lines of art that would grace the pages of Adbusters. Not only is it a smart advertisement, but it’s one that speaks to issues that could potentially affect — and thus should concern — readers of this feminist publication.
At the top of the page, in large font of the same type used by Victoria’s Secret in their ads and catalogues, the advertisement reads, “IT’S NO SECRET.” Below that stands an attractive female model wearing fancy red lingerie. If you, like me, read the ad initially from top to bottom, you would probably think you were in fact looking at a Victoria’s Secret ad. That is, until your eyes get to the middle of the page, where you notice the model pulling down the top part of her bra to expose a scar — the result of a mastectomy.
The smaller print says it all: “Society is obsessed with breasts. But what are we doing about breast cancer? Instead of just thinking about breasts, you can help save them.” And then readers see the logo and URL for The Breast Cancer Fund at the bottom of the page.
So why are readers backlashing against this ad? Maybe they’re devout Victoria’s Secret shoppers, disappointed by the advertisement’s parody of Victoria’s Secret advertisements. Or maybe they’re not comfortable with frank discussions of the body in a public forum. Perhaps they’re in denial and just want to think about breasts in relation to sex and are turned off, even disgusted, by the sight of a young, attractive model exposing her physical imperfections (though Fierce never claims to be the female answer to Playboy by any means). Or maybe they’re in denial, preferring to play the game of “pretend the problem isn’t there, and it will disappear.” Whatever it is, it’s both disturbing and peculiar that a group of readers who are predominately female would be offended by an advertisement that spoke directly to a disease that affects women in particular.
To see a copy of the advertisement to decide for yourself, check out the inside cover of the spring issue of Fierce, now available at your local Borders or Barnes & Noble.
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