''Killing Us Softly'' is an American documentary series by
Jean Kilbourne
Jean Kilbourne (born January 4, 1943) is an American educator, former model, filmmaker, author and activist, who is known as a pioneer of feminist advertising criticism and advocacy of media literacy. In the 1970s she was one of the top three r ...
, produced and distributed by the
Media Education Foundation
The Media Education Foundation is a nonprofit organization established in 1992 that produces and distributes documentary films about the impact of American mass media. Their films focus on topics such as gender, race and representation, health, cl ...
. First released in 1979 and since revised and updated three times, most recently in 2010, it focuses on images of women in
advertising
Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a Product (business), product or Service (economics), service. Advertising aims to present a product or service in terms of utility, advantages, and qualities of int ...
; in particular on
gender stereotype
A gender role, or sex role, is a social norm deemed appropriate or desirable for individuals based on their gender or sex.
Gender roles are usually centered on conceptions of masculinity and femininity. The specifics regarding these gendered ...
s, the effects of advertising on women's
self-image
Self-image is the mental picture, generally of a kind that is quite resistant to change, that depicts not only details that are potentially available to an objective investigation by others (height, weight, hair color, etc.), but also items that ...
, and the
objectification
In social philosophy, objectification is the act of treating a person as an object or a thing. Sexual objectification, the act of treating a person as a mere object of sexual desire, is a subset of objectification, as is self-objectification, th ...
of women's bodies.
The two most recent updates, ''Killing Us Softly 3'' and ''Killing Us Softly 4'', were produced by the
Media Education Foundation
The Media Education Foundation is a nonprofit organization established in 1992 that produces and distributes documentary films about the impact of American mass media. Their films focus on topics such as gender, race and representation, health, cl ...
and directed by
Sut Jhally
Sut Jhally (born 1955) is a professor of communication at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, whose work focuses on cultural studies, advertising, media, and consumption. He is the producer of more than 40 documentaries on media literacy t ...
. Using modern print and television advertisements, the films make connections between unrealistic media portrayals of women and problems such as "eating disorders, men's violence against women, and the political backlash against feminism."
Overview
Kilbourne is
critical of the advertising industry, accusing it of misconduct.
She argues that the superficial, objectifying and unreal portrayal of women in advertising lowers women's
self-esteem
Self-esteem is confidence in one's own worth, abilities, or morals. Self-esteem encompasses beliefs about oneself (for example, "I am loved", "I am worthy") as well as emotional states, such as triumph, despair, pride, and shame. Smith and Macki ...
.
Sexualized images of women are being used to sell virtually all kinds of goods, and Kilbourne argues that they degrade women, encourage abuse, and reinforce the
patriarchal
Patriarchy is a social system in which positions of authority are primarily held by men. The term ''patriarchy'' is used both in anthropology to describe a family or clan controlled by the father or eldest male or group of males, and in fem ...
,
sexist
Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but primarily affects women and girls. It has been linked to gender roles and stereotypes, and may include the belief that one sex or gender is int ...
society.
Kilbourne also draws a connection between advertising and
pornography
Pornography (colloquially called porn or porno) is Sexual suggestiveness, sexually suggestive material, such as a picture, video, text, or audio, intended for sexual arousal. Made for consumption by adults, pornographic depictions have evolv ...
, stating that "the advertisers are America's real pornographers".
Versions
''Killing Us Softly'' and its revisions have been developed from lectures that Kilbourne has been delivering at American universities since early 1970s. The documentary has had four editions, each updating the previous release:
* ''Killing Us Softly: Advertising's Image of Women'' (1979)
* ''Still Killing Us Softly: Advertising's Image of Women'' (1987), update of the 1979 film by Margaret Lazarus and Renner Wunderlich through
Cambridge Documentary Films Cambridge Documentary Films is a non profit organization established in Massachusetts in 1974. The purpose of the organization is to create new perspectives on important social issues and give voice to groups and individuals whose perspectives are ...
, with Jean Kilbourne as co-creator
* ''Killing Us Softly 3'' (1999),
not to be confused with ''Beyond Killing Us Softly'' (2000), featuring Jean Kilbourne, directed by
Sut Jhally
Sut Jhally (born 1955) is a professor of communication at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, whose work focuses on cultural studies, advertising, media, and consumption. He is the producer of more than 40 documentaries on media literacy t ...
, and produced by the
Media Education Foundation
The Media Education Foundation is a nonprofit organization established in 1992 that produces and distributes documentary films about the impact of American mass media. Their films focus on topics such as gender, race and representation, health, cl ...
. This update focuses on the same themes as previous versions, while also reviewing "if and how the image of women in advertising has changed over the last 20 years."
* ''Killing Us Softly 4'' (2010),
featuring Jean Kilbourne, directed by Sut Jhally, and produced by the Media Education Foundation. This update uses contemporary print and television ads to examine how women are represented in the media, noting that "the more things have changed, the more they've stayed the same."
Reception
''Killing Us Softly'' has often been used in university lectures, as well as by community organizers and feminist groups.
Its various editions have been described as "extremely popular"
and have attracted praise;
Bakari Chavanu, for example, notes that the documentary is "an engaging and even humorous analysis of how images and ads shape our values".
Ford, et al. noted that the documentary raises feminist consciousness, up to the point that it has been positively correlated with boycotts of products whose advertisements were seen as offensive.
[
The documentary has also evoked some negative reactions. Paul Rutherford criticized Kilbourne for a "crusade against advertising", arguing that in the documentary she is conflating pornography and ]erotica
Erotica is art, literature or photography that deals substantively with subject matter that is erotic, sexually stimulating or sexually arousing. Some critics regard pornography as a type of erotica, but many consider it to be different. Erot ...
, not noticing the satirical
Satire is a genre of the visual arts, visual, literature, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently Nonfiction, non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ...
and artistic values of advertising, and ignoring the influence of the world of fashion
Fashion is a term used interchangeably to describe the creation of clothing, footwear, Fashion accessory, accessories, cosmetics, and jewellery of different cultural aesthetics and their mix and match into Clothing, outfits that depict distinct ...
.
Related documentaries
Cambridge Documentary Films created two other films on this subject; the first is ''Beyond Killing Us Softly: The Strength to Resist'' (2000). That title was updated and released as ''The Strength to Resist: Advertising's Impact on Women and Girls'', featuring Gloria Steinem
Gloria Marie Steinem ( ; born March 25, 1934) is an American journalist and social movement, social-political activist who emerged as a nationally recognized leader of second-wave feminism in the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s. ...
, Amy Richards, Gail Dines
Gail Dines (born 29 July 1958) is professor emerita of sociology and women's studies at Wheelock College in Boston, Massachusetts.
A radical feminist, Dines specializes in the study of pornography. Described in 2010 as the world's leading anti-p ...
, Valerie Batts, Jamila Batts, Catherine Steiner Adair, and others.
See also
* Effects of advertising on teen body image
* Exploitation of women in mass media
The exploitation of women in mass media is the use or portrayal of women in mass media such as television, film, music, and advertising as objects or sexual beings, in order to increase the appeal of media or a product to the detriment of the wom ...
* Gender advertisement
* '' Miss Representation''
* Sex in advertising
Sex appeal in advertising is a common tactic employed to promote products and services. Research indicates that sexually appealing content, including imagery, is often used to shape or alter the consumer's perception of a brand, even if it is ...
* Sexual objectification
Sexual objectification is the act of treating a person solely as an object of sexual desire (a sex object). Objectification more broadly means treating a person as a commodity or an object without regard to their personality or dignity. Obje ...
References
Further reading
*
*
* {{cite journal, last=Conley, first=T. D., author2=Ramsey, L. R. , title=Killing Us Softly? Investigating Portrayals of Women and Men in Contemporary Magazine Advertisements, journal=Psychology of Women Quarterly, date=31 August 2011, volume=35, issue=3, pages=469–478, doi=10.1177/0361684311413383
* Jean Kilbourne
Killing Us Softly: Gender Roles in Advertising
Adolesc Med. 1993 Oct;4(3):635-650.
External links
* IMDb links
''Killing Us Softly 1''
''Still Killing Us Softly''
''Killing Us Softly 3''
''Killing Us Softly 4''
''Killing Us Softly 4''
short preview (4 min., 56 sec.) and full-length preview at MediaEd.org (45 min., 44 sec.)
* Kanopy previews
''Killing Us Softly 1''
''Still Killing Us Softly''
''Killing Us Softly 3''
''Killing Us Softly 4''
1979 documentary films
1987 documentary films
1999 documentary films
2000 documentary films
2010 documentary films
2010 films
American documentary films
Documentary film series
Documentary films about feminism
Documentary films about advertising
Documentary films about sexuality
Social impact of advertising
1990s English-language films
1980s English-language films
1970s English-language films
English-language documentary films