''Killing Us Softly 4: Advertising’s Image of Women'' is an American documentary based on a lecture by Jean Kilbourne and is produced and distributed by the Media Education Foundation. The documentary, first released in 1979 and since revised and updated three times, focuses on images of women in advertising, in particular on gender stereotypes, the effects of advertising on women's self-image, and the objectification 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 and directed by Sut Jhally. 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 or abilities. 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 Mackie (2007) d ...

. 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 Dominance hierarchy, dominance and Social privilege, privilege are primarily held by men. It is used, both as a technical Anthropology, anthropological term for families or clans controll ...

sexist Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but it primarily affects women and girls.There is a clear and broad consensus among academic scholars in multiple fields that sexism refers primaril ...

society. Kilbourne also draws a connection between advertising and

pornography Pornography (often shortened to porn or porno) is the portrayal of sexual subject matter for the exclusive purpose of sexual arousal. Primarily intended for adults,

, 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, 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, and produced by the Media Education Foundation. 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, not noticing the

satirical Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming or e ...

and artistic values of advertising, and ignoring the influence of the world of

fashion Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion in ...

References

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

Overview

Versions

Reception

Related documentaries

See also

References

Further reading

External links