"Be Stupid"?

With all of the media surrounding us, advertisers and marketers have to come up with more and more innovative advertisements and catch-phrases to capture our attention. We will only remember the ads that stand out-but what if those ones are the images that are offensive and promote reckless behavior?

For example, this Diesel clothing line ad shown here is definitely different from your typical ad of a waifish girl standing against a plain backdrop, so some might call it "innovative" and "different". However, the message sent here is that to have "balls" (aka initiative) one must be "stupid" and do stupid but "memorable" things. The girl is flashing the camera; sure, in reality, you might be talked about and be considered brave, but for the most part, people might also call you other offensive names. It also promotes sexism and the idea that the sexy girl flashes people and acts provocatively to get attention-which, according to Diesel, is pretty ballsy. Translate that into the real world, and things can get more complicated-i.e., your boss sees the photo on Facebook. Not a good idea. And what's more, I prefer to be smart than stupid. That is a message we should be sending to our kids, not the other way around.

Finally, head on over to the Diesel website, where one of the reasons to "be stupid" is to "Have more sex" in large letters. What a perfect message to send to an innocent fifteen year old. Oh dear.