"Killing Us Softly 3" is a 34-minute live action short film from 1999, so this one will have its 20th anniversary soon. As the title gives away, this is the third of so far four KmS installments by writer and presenter Jean Kilbourne and at the same time the first one I have seen from these. The director of this is Kenyan Sut Jhally and he also returned as the man in charge of the so far most recent entry to the series. Kilbourne made one all four years roughly. I don't know if the term "short film" is really accurate here as I think this should better be called a speech or presentation with audiovisual material as it is Kilbourne elaborating on the issue of sexism in the world of advertising.
My opinion here is as follows: I think every point she makes can be refuted entirely. First of all, it needs to be said that all the women we see decided to appear like that on these covers and in these commercials. Nobody was forced to do anything. Many were filmed by female directors and photographers. And doesn't it imply somehow that Kilbourne thinks women are too stupid to see through this facade of make-believe? Now that is what I call truly misogynistic. Most of her elaborations had to do with the statement that men are not treated that way. I am sure it could easily be arranged to make such a speech on men being discriminated against and funnily enough it would be exactly the same ones believing in that one who believe in this one here. Or it could easily made a speech about the exact opposite, namely how women are NOT discriminated against in the world of advertising. It is all about the sample of images you choose and Kilbourne here chose exactly those that to some point support her untruthful theory and entirely blend out those that prove the exact opposite.
I mean the title says it all, doesn't it? Has more than an ounce of drama queen to it. Nobody is killing anybody. Our eyes are no weapons. They are instruments that show our admiration and affection and appreciation. I'm sure the writer here is also outraged by the recent sex scandal in Hollywood and calls everybody, including the lying bandwagon jumpers brave and courageous. But that is another subject. Back to this documentary here. I am not surprised Kilbourne is immediately willing to take the race bait too. Sorry, but if a Black woman agrees to pose as a beast, as a vulture lying on the ground, then (if at all) the only one racist is the model herself. And as for the statement on weight in here and on women not eating enough and being anorexic. This frequently has far deeper psychological reasons than just the impression she may get from beauty magazines. This subject is actually one that really shows us who understands something about the subject. Compare the figures of women dying related to having too little weight or having too much weight and I am sure you will know what number is going to prevail. But of course the latter are just brave because they do not obey beauty standards right? Shame that doesn't reduce their blood sugar level.
And finally, a word on us men (from a man) and how we are depicted in here. You know what? Men like watching models and perfect bodies, but they do not only want to be with women that have such bodies. We still love our girlfriends for their imperfections and also most men I know really would pick a girl with some meat on her hips anytime over a dangerously anorexic chick. Oh wait, did I just say "chick"? I'm sure that Kilbourne would object to that term too. After all, she also thinks a photo with a woman that has her mouth covered by a pullover is sexist too. Back to my previous statement: The thing with preference on weight and looks is just like the other way around for both sexes. Sure women love drooling over Jon Hamm, but that doesn't make them love their Patton Oswalt boyfriend love any less. And yes, women do objectify men as much as men objectify women. The failed attempts at comedy, like penis jokes on one occasion, are the perfect example here. In my opinion, this speech by the "artist" is strongly androgynistic (it says it all that the IMDb dictionary does not know this term as if it never existed, so much for equality I guess) and the overall outcome of the film is on a dangerously fact-changing level. It's actually works like this that keep hatred, discrimination and segregation in our societies alive. Highly not recommended and I have seldom seen a film that is selling us so desperately one side of the medal as reality while completely ignoring the other side. And strangely enough it is always these who call sexism in our society who are surprisingly fine with the many despicable ways in which women are actually discriminated against in other parts of the world. Don't be fooled by Mrs. Kilbourne's rhetorics here. I'm sure you (especially you female readers of this review) are smarter than that and don't fall for her shtick.
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