The Candies Foundation ad (click to enlarge)
Heard of the Candie’s Foundation? If you’re young, fertile, and female, you will soon. The seven-year-old charity bought full-page ads this morning in The New York Times and The New York Post. But USA Today refused to run the ad, which included photos of Bristol Palin and Jamie Lynn Spears:
The Candie’s Foundation’s “America, Wake Up” PSA campaign to prevent teenage pregnancy was due to run as a full-page advertisement in USA Today. On Friday afternoon, the publication rejected the ad after much discussion about their desire to avoid offending their readers.
USA Today began by explaining that it did not want to offend its readers and subsequently changed and re-changed its position until ultimately rejecting the PSA late Friday afternoon claiming they downsized the paper and “could not accommodate the ad.”
A televised version of the ad will debut tonight on the CW network’s “Gossip Girl,” a show which is apparently wholesome enough for USA Today to promote without worrying that it might “offend its readers.” (Hat tip to Jossip for Hypocrisy #1.)
But it gets better. Or worse, depending on your outlook. (And I’m not talking about the horrible misuse of a hyphen in the ad’s headline.)
Hypocrisy #2: The Candie’s Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Candie’s, the teen-centric fashion label. Here’s how they describe their own image:
Candie’s award winning advertising is noted for its sexy but playful concepts … The current Candie’s girl is Hayden Panettiere, award-winning actress, recording artist, activist and a star of NBC’s hit television series, “Heroes.” Hayden is one of the hottest young stars and is looked up to by girls for her fun flirty styles.
‘Cause, you know … sexy, flirty and Hayden Panettiere are all synonymous with carnal restraint. Here’s just a few snaps from Hayden’s latest publicity tour for Candie’s. Excuse me for a moment while I go and practice some, uh, abstinence:
And Hypocrisy #3: Is it just me, or is it more than a little strange that Jenny McCarthy sits on the Board of the Candie’s Foundation? Yeah, I know that she’s best known today for being a little off her rocker about autism and childhood vaccines, but just put her name into Google Image search (link NSFW) and see what turns up. Not exactly ice water for the raging hormones of America’s future baby-daddies.
I’m just saying … If the Candie’s Foundation wants a better spokeswoman, how about NPR commentator Sarah Vowell? She’s ten times as smart and articulate, there’s absolutely nothing sexy about her voice, and she’s got the penis-shriveling homeliness of a younger White House correspondent Helen Thomas. When Sarah says “Zip it up, home boy,” he just might.
Okay, now I’ve said far too much.
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I’m shocked…*shocked* to hear that celebrities and large consumer products corporations are sending out mixed messages about sex, especially to young girls.
Doesn’t Hayden date a 30yr old when she is only 19?? Oh yeah, she’s a great role model for young girls.
This is like the butter cream icing on the corporate hypocritical cake. I imagine it’s a spice cake. This is just like the whole Dove thing all over again. Say one thing, do another. Take all the money you can get before everyone finds out and calls you a fraud.
Another way to look at these statistics:
3 in 10 girls face a pregnancy before age 20. In other words 3 in 10 girls are guaranteed to have unprotected sex. Now, I figure at least 2 of those remaining 7 have protected sex. Which means, 5 in 10 girls have sex before 20, which is the same odds as flipping a coin.
Now the question is do these odds hold above age 20?
Sigh…
Let’s blame everything but the lack of sex-ed. Between abstinence, STDs and sleaze, American girls don’t have much choice…
Sarah Vowell is fun!!! Thanks Wikipedia! I want to party with her.
Vowell currently lives in Chelsea, a residential neighborhood in Manhattan. She cannot swim, is afraid of heights, and does not drive a car; she usually enlists the aid of her friends and family to drive her to historical sites when doing research. She suffers from celiac sprue, in which the body has an auto-immune reaction to gluten. Vowell is an atheist.
I would call her myself, but I’m gonna guess she’s “Captain of the Girls Softball Team.” And it’s thanks to Candies that I have to tell all my new neighbors whenever I move in somewhere. Thanks a ton Hayden, and the Cook County Court system.
Sure, it would be hypocritical if Candie’s comes out saying “ABSTAIN!”, but my guess is that it will be more the “PROTECT!” message. I don’t know. And WTF, if a woman is ‘hot’ and has made at least part of her career out of getting people turned on, she is in no position (no pun intended) to help educate young women on the risks of unprotected sex? Only people you consider unattractive are qualified???
I’ve liked your website generally, but several times lately have found myself pretty confused about what qualifies as hypocrisy. Guess you gotta come up with something to post for all us blood-thirsty readers.
Hmm … Tracie, look at the PSA messages for this foundation:
• Be Sexy: It Doesn’t Mean You Have to Have Sex
• Be Smart: Don’t Give Up Your Education
• Be Smart: You Are Too Young to Start
They ARE saying “ABSTAIN” (not “PROTECT”).
Clear hypocrites.
Point to Deceiver.
And let’s not forget Jenny’s super-classy ads for Candie’s: http://krajnc73.blog.siol.net/files/2007/11/candies.jpg
exactly kelli! i thought hayden is 18 but whatever, her boyfriend is 30. if they love each other then whatever fine, but i wouldn’t call it role model material. and on the candies ad.. who are those sexy classy girls on the right? good lord!!
Whoa why are you throwing Sarah Vowell into this? I fully agree with the Candie’s “Crusade” being hypocritical, but, to paraphrase the immortal words of Chris Crocker, “Leave Sarah Vowell alone!”
If you don’t want to get shot, don’t play Russian Roulette. They might tell you the safety’s on but don’t believe ‘em!
So Candie’s corporate stance has become “Sex should only be used to sell products and nothing else”
BTW, the idea isn’t that only unattractive people should shill for abstinence, but that people who make a living by flaunting sex appeal might not be believable. What about finding attractive people who DON’T make a living off their TNA? We do still have people like that, right?
*crickets chirp*
Thanks Samantha, my bad. I thought I was being good enough by reading the print ad, haven’t seen the PSA. Won’t either, if it means I have to watch Gossip Girl.
I have to agree the whole abstinence message would be better served by folks not engaged in the fluff trade. I was still thinking protection.
Not happy I had to be wrong on both points, but there you have it.
I’m still keeping wary of you Deceiver!
Sex doesn’t have to mean pregnancy. I think people virtually forget that in these situations. It’s all about being safe and making smart choices. If someone was actually teaching kids this, the subject would be a non-issue. You can be overtly sexual, enjoy sex on a regular basis, and not get pregnant. I take some pride in having made it to 26, enjoying an active sex life sinc emy late teens, and never having been pregnant.
“BTW, the idea isn’t that only unattractive people should shill for abstinence”
Ugly people don’t have to shill for abstinence. Some people are born into abstinence, others have abstinence thrust upon them. Not me though.
Pasta- what about having ugly people shill for unsafe, rampant sex? There’s a PSA against teen pregnancy that might work.
I do hate the abstinence is the only way mentality though. I remember my high school board voting to maintain “abstinence only” education in sex ed. I asked my teacher why, he said “because to the school board, sex doesn’t exist.”
My answer: “no wonder they’re so cranky.”
I’ve seen our school board. He’s right. Sex for them doesn’t exist.
What have we raised…a bunch of bottom feeders?
Reading these responses is sickening and scarey!
Each one of you have fallen victim to what is socially “popular”. Rather than “think” for yourselves you find it necessary to denegrade someone else’s positive efforts.
Good for Bristol for coming forth and attempting to “help” someone else from making the same mistake she did. The only difference between her and you…she is “owning” up to her responsibilities, despite the negative’s thrown around by the likes of you guys!
Listen you If-It-Feels-Good-Do-It generation I’ve got news for you…
Sex is NOT a part of dating and was never meant to be…
Just because you experience “those feelings” doesn’t mean you have to ACT on them…
Ever hear of SELF CONTROL!!!
Doesn’t ANYONE take pride in themselves? Do ya all think you’re only as good as the sex you divvy out? (Makes for some pretty EMPTY people!)…(not to mention selfish due to your need for self-gratification!!)