–
March 21, 2025
March is Women's History Month, and we're celebrating it by showing the 2010 documentary Killing Us Softly 4: Advertising's Image of Women. It is the most recent version of a presentation that feminist and media critic Jean Kilbourne has been giving since 1979. Kilbourne spotlights how advertisers rely on promoting insecurity and self-consciousness in women in order to sell more stuff (and not just in the beauty industry). She talks about the psychological impacts of these ads in common-sense terms, with an effective mix of insight and humor.
A lot has changed in the 15 years since Jean Kilbourne released Killing Us Softly 4, but the crux of her argument still holds true: companies still want consumers to feel bad about themselves because those consumers will purchase more things. Otherwise, there would be no need for slimming waist trainers, preemptive Botox injections, or wrinkle-reducing straws. The Black Cats want to revisit Kilbourne’s ideas, as well as discuss how advertising companies have responded to these criticisms. For example, we see more diverse body types in advertisements now, but does that indicate that companies truly want marginalized people to feel good about themselves? How are the media's treatment of gender and beauty changing (or not) in the age of social media?
Discussion will follow the film.
As always, our events are free and open to the public. The Black Cat House welcomes all ages, and is a drug and alcohol-free venue. To help keep everyone safe and healthy, we ask that all guests wear face masks in our space. We are wheelchair accessible.