I think there will always be commercial entities amoral enough to engage in overt body shaming while claiming to be merely promoting hygiene. I try not to pay attention to them, because that is how advertisers succeed, after all, by gathering mindshare. Sometimes that has far reaching consequences beyong the marketplace.
So I prefer to enjoy a delicious clam, and be complimentary to women with clam tattoos, and laugh derisively at ads like that.
Oh, and my favorite response to that whole line of body shaming was from um, I think Rosie O’Donnell? anyway, whoever it was said “do these men think the penis is a rose?”
You’re certainly welcome to do as you like, and that includes ignoring cultural context and social implications.
Women don’t have that luxury. I certainly didn’t beginning with my sophmore photography class when I first heard my tablemate say “smells like fish, tastes like chicken.”
Hmmm… never heard that one. In high school I heard “smells like fish, tastes like steak” and in college “smells like fish, eat all you wish; smells like cologne, leave it alone.”
But as you rightly point out, we’re each embedded in our own local culture. And although I like to think my preference for only acknowledging meme complexes that I think are harmful in a negative or derisive way, instead of reinforcing them positively by endorsing or accepting them, is an enlightened behavior, what do I know about women’s issues? My wife divorced me, so probably nobody should listen to me on such matters.
Given our adult discussion of Smear the Queer recently, where many of us talked about childhood memories of playing something now considered very offensive, I think it’s possible to bring up antiquated or negative stereotypes in that context without endorsing them.
In case it wasn’t clear, I don’t deny that such a stereotype exists, nor do I deny that commercial entities have used it heinously to the detriment of young women’s body image. If that’s what it seemed like, I messed up; I’m not a good writer.
I am saying, though, that those harmful memes are completely dependent on accepting and endorsing the idea that fish (and clams) smell bad. And that’s not true (at least not around here, where seafood of very high quality is readily available.)
Seafood smells good. I drink clamato juice and eat mussels and I enjoy the flavors and scents. So do thousands of other people. Because they are savory and fishy and nice!
I am not saying my reality is more important than anyone else’s reality, or that mine makes anyone else’s invalid. Just sharing mine, out of friendliness, with no intent to offend or insult.
