WOW! Wyoming Libraries are making an effort to reach out to men! Did you know? Apparently men in Wyoming don’t read or something. If you are male and from Wyoming and are reading this, you should probably go have a lie down. Unless you need something to stimulate your desire to read? Then perhaps you will enjoy Wyoming Libraries’ new advertising campaign!
O HAY it’s the mudflap girl. But it’s okay, because she’s reading a book! Ha ha! That’s right men, sexy nude silhouettes who live on mudflaps read, too! An offering from Wyoming, “the Equality State.” I sure would be super-thrilled if I was a librarian in this system. And by “thrilled,” I mean “disgusted and incredulous.” I would certainly want my name as a librarian associated with outdated sexist trash from the dregs of popular culture. Ha ha!
But since Wyoming’s state motto is “equal rights,” I humbly offer, free of charge, my design to add to their campaign. Just to keep things on the level. Because libraries have moar to offer than just TITTAYS.
Oh my, I really really wanted that to be a joke…but it’s not, is it?!
But her breasts are small, so she must be smart, right? …
What do they offer at this library? Erotica?
SJ FTW.
So wrong! So discriminatory! WHAR THA SHEMALE LUV, WYOMINGERS?!?!?!?!?!?
She needs reading glasses. Then it would be totally legit.
Heh. I bet that would get everyone in an uproar!
http://coollibrarianblog.blogspot.com/2007/09/mud-flap-anyone.html
I was going to get all outraged at Mudflap Girl, but then I saw on the Wyoming Libraries web site that they also have a bumper sticker that reads “You can have my book when you PRY MY COLD DEAD FINGERS OFF IT.”
And that so totally captures how I feel about my books that all my righteous anger just dissolved.
Plus, I really like the logo of the little cowboy riding the book. Does this make me … odd?
Aannnnd…. the first projectile vomit of the day goes to the Wyoming Libraries, and the ad agency that dreamed this up. They want to show that the libraries offer MORE? So they… have a bunch of bumper stickers about books? It’s not just sexist; it’s stupid. Unless the point is: You can now get a stupid bumper sticker at your local library, in which case: WOW! (as they wished. I guess.)
Hi there Carny Asada. While I here you about feeling protective of my books, especially whichever one I’m reading at the moment, the phrase they’re using is lifted from the NRA. Given the amount of work the NRA has done to keep guns and ammunition easily available, and given the amount of damage guns have done to people in the United States, I think that bumper sticker is yet another stinker. I sure hope they got the graphic design work donated. A buck would have been too much to pay for this collection of bull-shit.
While I had nothing to do with the state ad campaigns, I can report they seem to be working well. Isn’t that always the way it is with ads? This pushes my feminist buttons and I’m bothered that it made it past the idea stage, but I’m living in a state where this thing doesn’t seem to even raise eyebrows.
I adore you. Absolutely, you rock!
Yeah, having spent some time in the Great Big Empty Places With Pickup Trucks Only, when I first saw this stuff earlier this week I thought it was maybe a little tongue-in-cheek for Wyoming.
To my mind, the bumper stickers are making fun of the gun-totin’ truckin culture, and I actually think, “If you can read this, you might enjoy the library” is pretty clever. But I can certainly see how they could be taken the other way.
And in my opinion, anyone ever using that mudflap girl is just asking for it – it’s an extremely offensive image, and I think they went too far by using it.
Thank you K.G.!
I found the ads amusing and think that turning an objectifying image into an advertisement for an intellectual hub to be an interesting juxtaposition that grabs one’s interest, which is of course one goal of advertising. Though being a librarian who is also a member of the NRA makes me sort of unusual and apparently makes my opinions somewhat less than acceptable.
Well I’m not a member of the NRA and I am a librarian and I think the ads are pretty funny. I’m sure they will draw in a bigger crowd than those READ posters will any day.
Besides, this is Wyoming were talking about, the bumper stickers will probably appeal to 98% of the population, the other 2% are probably librarians who don’t need the enticement anyway.
>the phrase they’re using is lifted from the NRA
No? Really? I had no idea, because I’ve been out of the country since, like, 1956.
1. As has been mentioned, the goal of an advertising campaign is to attract attention. Check.
2. Libraries have finally come into the 21st century … I mean lowered themselves into the 21st century.
3. Aren’t they afraid the libraries are suddenly going to get filled up with men yelling, yeee haa! and groping women in the back stacks?
You’re a genius… and wouldn’t it be awesome to print your shifting gears stickers?
And how about planning that bare naked “read-in”?
1) The reading mudflap girl has no bobbies to speak of.
2) She’s not, as far as I can tell, naked.
I think all this says more about you than the fine folks at the Wyoming libraries.
PROBLEMS WITH THIS COMMENT:
1. Referring to women’s breasts as bobbies. WTF?
2. “She’s not naked.” Your point?
3. “I don’t see what’s wrong with this, so it’s not sexist.”
I’m pretty pleased my own library (go go NCPL!) has refused to join the campaign, even if we do get lots of “I don’t see what’s wrong with it” complaints from the jackass in the children’s section.
Yep, Wyoming librarian. Well, uh. Teen…shelver…thing.
I WORK THERE AND MY VOICE COUNTS. That should suffice.
The ad in question is truly not offensive. The women who came up with this ad were quite clever. Now, if you fine folks will excuse me, I must go purchase new mud flap chicks for my truck. I added that last part because my argument is incoherent and made of fail.