Potty-Mouthed Princesses Drop F-Bombs for Feminism by FCKH8.com

@Germlat,

I agree those little girls probably don't understand what "****" means, but we do, and when we hear it again and again, it is hard not to think about it... And that is not a thought most men feel comfortable associating with little girls... All sorts of bells and whistles start to ring up. "No no no don't go there!" says the Jiminy Cricket in our head.

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@maxdancona,

Agreed that people sometimes don;t connect to the roots of it, but still, the word "****" is inherently and objectively sexual.

1 Reply

@Olivier5,

Olivier5 wrote:

Agreed that people sometimes don;t connect to the roots of it, but still, the word "****" is inherently and objectively sexual.

No it is not. The roots don't matter.

Do you know the roots of the word "goodbye" or the phrase "that sucks". Do you say something or someone is "hysterical" even when they don't have a uterus?

The word "****" is not sexual when it is not being used in sexual context. Here it is clearly being used to show anger and defiance.

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@maxdancona,

maxdancona wrote:

The word "****" is not sexual when it is not being used in sexual context. Here it is clearly being used to show anger and defiance.

Quote:

Where are my ******* keys?" "What the **** is taking so long?" "This is ******* awesome!"
(what )the ****, Slang. (used as an intensifier, especially with WH-questions, to express annoyance, impatience, etc.)
Verb phrases
**** around (about), Slang. a.to behave in a frivolous or meddlesome way.
b.to engage in promiscuous sex.

**** off, Slang. a.to shirk one's duty; malinger.
b.go away: used as an exclamation of impatience.
c.to waste time.

**** up, Slang. a.to bungle or botch; ruin.
b.to act stupidly or carelessly; cause trouble; mess up.

Idioms

give a ****, Slang. to care; be concerned (usually used in the negative):
"When it comes to politics, I really don't give a ****."

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/****

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@Olivier5,

Olivier5 wrote:

This seems to be one of these cases: the message is not well supported by the medium but rather, it is muddled by it.

definitely agree with this. the ad seems really muddled to me. it's clear the creators of the ad want us to get excited about something but what exactly? people posting in this thread can't seem to agree - and don't cover all the options I've seen on FB

is anyone going to order a t-shirt as a result of the ad? it is, after all, a marketing piece for a t-shirt

1 Reply

@maxdancona,

Quote:

The word "****" is not sexual when it is not being used in sexual context.

I don't care much for semantic disputes, Max. In our minds, concepts are interlinked, and the link between "****" and "sex" is not that loose that you can so easily discard it... An ad showing cute little girls wearing maquillage and pretty dresses, and saying "**** **** ****" all the time like some adult women do, such an ad CAN, AMONG SOME VIEWERS, convey the idea that little girls = adult women = legitimate objects of sexual attention. That message is NOT WHAT THE ADS SAY IN SOM MANY WORDS, but it could be interpreted like that.

I truly hope this is well taken. My intention is not to launch another controversy and I am getting a bit tired of artificial disputes. My point is just to remind that public advertisements can sometimes be misunderstood, so it is important to design them carefully, test them with a focus group, etc. This ad was not designed carefully enough in my view; they went for shock effect but the result is confusing; and as a result it may send the wrong message. You said as much: your point is that it sends the message that feminism is angry. I say: there are other possible misunderstandings here, and some of them could be quite sinister.

I find it funny nevertheless. Not trying to say it should be repelled or anything, just my 2 cents about its possible impact on the public.

1 Reply

@Olivier5,

Quote:

In our minds, concepts are interlinked, and the link between "****" and "sex" is not that loose that you can so easily discard it...

In "our" minds???? Speak for your yourself.

The message is pretty ******* clear to me. This ad expresses rage at what the writers of this ad perceive as male dominance in society. I think most people who see this ad will understand this.

As I have pointed out, most people who use the word "****" use it in completely non-sexual contexts. Most people understanf this, at a poker game, when I say "**** these cards" no one unzips their pants....

Again... I think the ad is quite effective at expressing the opinion of the people who wrote it.

3 Replies

@maxdancona,

The word "****" is somewhat connected with the word "sex" in your mind too.

Anyway, I rest my case.

1 Reply

@ehBeth,

Quote:

definitely agree with this. the ad seems really muddled to me. it's clear the creators of the ad want us to get excited about something but what exactly?

Totally agree. I didn't get the message until it was explained to me. And two people explained it in two different ways... not a good sign.

1 Reply

@Olivier5,

I'm still not sure what the ad was about or what it was selling. Seriously. I was just watching it, fuckin' fascinated by its inanity.

1 Reply

@Olivier5,

Olivier5 wrote:

The word "****" is somewhat connected with the word "sex" in your mind too.

Anyway, I rest my case.

No it is not.

When I am actually talking about sex, I will say something like "I would like to sleep with you" or maybe "let's go to bed" or "do you want to fool around". The word "****" in this context, as in "let's you and me ****", has never ever come out of my mouth.

1 Reply

@maxdancona,

maxdancona wrote:

The message is pretty ******* clear to me. This ad expresses rage at what the writers of this ad perceive as male dominance in society. I think most people who see this ad will understand this.

but people aren't all getting the same message you are

it's not a clear message at all

I hope they didn't spend too much money on creating the ad as I can't imagine they're getting a lot of t-shirt sales from it

0 Replies

@maxdancona,

maxdancona wrote:

Quote:
In our minds, concepts are interlinked, and the link between "****" and "sex" is not that loose that you can so easily discard it...

In "our" minds???? Speak for your yourself.

you've clearly linked concepts in the ad - Olivier is correct that we do that.

You've linked different concepts than one of the sets he has suggested are possible.

One of the things that Olivier's comments makes really clear is that the ad can say very different things to people who use English differently and with different levels of knowledge of idioms. It's no Ikea ad.

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@maxdancona,

maxdancona wrote:

The word "****" in this context, as in "let's you and me ****", has never ever come out of my mouth.

Dave Allen did a routine about words no longer being used for their original meaning. It ended with the exclamation, "****! I almost stepped in some dog's doo doo."

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@Lustig Andrei,

Me too: I found those cursing girls fascinating, but zapped the message totally.

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https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/39482529#

I liked that speech. Not your average UN yada yada, but a true testimony.

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@chai2,

Sorry chai, but regardless of what society expects or doesn't, girls are different than boys and they tend to like princess frou frou a lot more than boys. This doesn't mean that they all have to or that some boys can't like it too, and, like anything, it can be a source of obsession, just like macho crap, but to think that little girls are being forced into acting like what we all think is "little girl" is ridiculous.

What's wrong with it anyway?

There are a lot of ways to succeed, get your point across, achieve power. Why do they all have to be "masculine" in nature?

Very few, if any, utterly beautiful, totally moronic women have been successful. If you're smart and clever, you use whatever is available to you.

My daughter was a "little princess" and she is now a very successful woman in business, likewise my niece in medicine. My daughter doesn't for a minute regret her childhood, and won't have a problem if her daughter emulates it. My niece, on the other hand, goes on and on about "little princess" syndrome, and vows to do things differently with her daughter. Her father is a uber-liberal, and I'm a conservative. We both have successful daughters, but one seems a lot happier about her life than the other.

1 Reply

@Finn dAbuzz,

The point is many people think certain characteristics are male/female, when in fact they are simply personality characteristics. Females are often taught to be docile, to not express anger, to be nice....ladylike. Boys are allowed to be rambunctious, while girls are told they are not ladylike if they behave in a similar manner.

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@Germlat,

Are you saying that boys are allowed free rein to eff and blind, but girls aren't? That young boys swearing like that is normal and acceptable in modern society?

1 Reply

@Germlat,

Quote:

The point is many people think certain characteristics are male/female, when in fact they are simply personality characteristics.

Anyone who doesn't think that certain characteristics are male/female hasn't raised kids.

3 Replies

Potty-Mouthed Princesses Drop F-Bombs for Feminism by FCKH8.com

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