A Tale of Two Billboards

Last week, I stumbled across an article about this racy Calvin Klein billboard in Manhattan. I had an immediate visceral reaction to this sign - disgust, anger, and dismay. I understand advertisers wanting to push the envelope with shock value, but to place this ad not in a men's magazine but on a high traffic billboard just goes beyond inappropriate to downright irresponsible. As a mother to three girls, I struggle daily with how to raise strong, responsible, confident young women. Seeing things like this fills my mind with doubt. How do I teach my girls to respect themselves, take care of their bodies, and act responsibly when the world throws these images in their faces?  I can't even fathom how anyone at Calvin Klein or their ad agency could look at this ad and in good conscience make the decision to display this on a huge billboard in the city. Do none of them have daughters? Is their perspective so warped that they can't see the bigger picture beyond the dollar signs? It is so disheartening. Everytime I see something like this, I feel like my job as a mother just intensified, as if this job isn't hard enough as is.

 

After feeling so discouraged about the state of the world in which I'm raising my girls, a friend gave me a glimmer of hope. She just happened to send me an email with a link to an article about Mallory Holtman. It is the most wonderful story of sportsmanship.  Read the article or watch the video, and I think you'll agree. Her selfless act of helping an opponent gives me hope that even in the midst of these disgusting images that degrade and demean women, there are still great women role models out there for my girls. It also helps me believe that there are mothers who have succeeded in the seemingly impossible task of raising responsible, caring, and self-assured young women despite all the external pressures fighting against them.

 

I said this was the "Tale of Two Billboards". Click here to see the billboard that I'd love to see replace the Calvin Klein one. That's what we need to see displayed 3 stories high.

Comments

[su]

It was interesting and good to read your post. I actually got the article from a friend as well. When he sent it to me, he wrote "I just sent this to your daughter and mine and told them that I thought they were both such good girls and that I could see them doing the same thing". It was an awesome thought, and that was before I'd even read the article. My glass remains half full...