#NotBuyingIt: Challenging Sexist Media, One Ad at a Time

“If the mainstream media isn’t representing us, we can create our own media to fight back.” – Imran Siddiquee, The Representation Project

Last year, 51 million females tuned in to watch the Super Bowl – accounting for nearly half of the game’s viewership. And yet despite the fact that the gender gap in the Super Bowl audience has narrowed more than 14% in the past decade, brands and advertising agencies continue to inaccurately portray women in the commercials they air during the big game.

And the sad reality is that while the objectification of women is taken to a whole new level during the big game, misrepresentations of gender have managed to make their way into everyday media now too:

But, never fear: Just in time for Sunday’s face-off comes the #NotBuyingIt app, an iPhone app from The Representation Project aimed at combating outdated, sexist portrayals of women. The app allows users to put companies and brands in their place by cataloging and sharing sexist advertising, whether it comes in the form of a television spot, magazine spread or billboard. Even better? Through the #NotBuyingIt app, users can also send messages directly to the companies producing the damaging media.

The name stems from a Twitter campaign that began during last year’s Super Bowl, when 10,000+ tweets were sent using the #NotBuyingIt hashtag (7,500 of which were directed at @GoDaddy) to call out brands relying on misrepresentation of gender to sell their products.

According to The Representation Project, “We’re putting the power back in the hands of the consumer. In a media environment where women continue to be valued primarily for their youth, beauty and sexuality, it’s time we took a collective stand. Sexism won’t see, because we’re #NotBuyingIt.”

If you’re tuning in Sunday, be sure to download the app and join the conversation on Twitter to let brands know you’re #NotBuyingIt when they objectify women.

•••

Photo credit: Miss Representation