Jean Kilbourne’s video, Killing Us Softly 3 reminds me how frustrating it is to realize how far some people will go to sell things and ideas. They have no morals. We have been inundated with so many ads, for so many things, and for so long, that many of us have become oblivious to the subliminal messages.

I have seen many of the ads like the ones presented in this video that use representations of the “ideal woman” that are unrealistic to say the least. I can see how they normalize the images portrayed. I sometimes cringe at some of the clothes, or lack of, that I see some children and teenagers wearing. To be honest, I cringe at the memory of some of the clothes I used to wear as a teenager.

The ads portraying battered women are new to me, though. I am a bit surprised, but sadly, not shocked that they exist. I wonder who were the advertisers targeting with that ad and, what product were they trying to sell? What kind of person even thinks up this stuff? More important, what type of person is attuned to that type of image? Does buying the product associated with the ad embolden them to make the images part of their life?

It is encouraging when someone, like Kate Winslet, who is idealized, speaks out to say that some images of her aren’t real. Although, it would be more “real” if she had refused to be photographed in that outfit in the first place.