When I think about the ads for birth control or safer sex methods, Trojan brand condom commercials are the first things that come to mind. Whether it’s a frantic couple running into a gas station looking for some more of those new condoms that made sex feel like “ecstasy” or a pig turning into a charming super model with the presence of a condom, Trojan dominates the ad market. But as a recent CNN article points out, this is all about to change.

According to the article “the Ad Council recently began offering 33,000 media outlets -digital, TV, radio, outdoor and print-the opportunity to run for free a series of short ads encouraging 20-somethings to use birth control.” These new ads use humor to promote knowledge about birth control, but they don’t just focus on decked out condoms. Instead these ads target young women by promoting Web sites like Bedsider.org, which help visitors “compare 15 kinds of contraception, locate the closest place to acquire various methods, set up regular birth control reminder and watch videos of real women sharing birth control experiences.” While these commercials and sites are geared toward young adults, they still reach many teens and provide an invaluable resource about birth control for people of all ages.

I think this new focus on informing the female (and male) population about all forms of birth control and safer sex methods is a good change from a condom centered market. It’s great that teens hear about condoms and know that they are easy to acquire, but teens have so many other amazing hormonal birth control options that should also be considered. Why place all the emphasis on getting a new condom that glows in the dark when you can just as easily protect yourself with birth control pills or the patch.

—Sam Dercon, 17, Staff Writer

There’s an ad for Tide Booster detergent that portrays a prim-and-preppy mother, dressed all in pink, sitting in a frilly and ultra-feminine living room, while her daughter, dressed in camo and cargo shorts, plays with trucks at her feet. The mother says that they “tried the ‘pink thing’,” but that her daughter insisted on more traditionally masculine clothes. When the daughter’s clothes are saved from crayon stains by Tide Booster, the mother’s reaction is “…it’s kinda too bad.” And when she asks her daughter, “playing another parking garage, honey?” her praise (“It’s beautiful”) is so halfhearted that it’s almost tragic.

The daughter’s dress and behavior don’t fit or conform to our culture’s stereotypes of who a girl should be. While the mother isn’t forcing her daughter to conform to traditionally feminine ideals (which the mother illustrates to an almost humorous degree, with her preppy pink cardigan and oh-so-delicate pose), but she is clearly annoyed, as if her daughter’s choice of clothing is a cross to bear.

And sure, this is just a commercial, but it’s painful to think that this ad campaign was chosen because they felt consumers could relate to it. So, rather than sending a positive message about letting your child be whomever he or she wants to be, the commercial is letting parents across the country roll their eyes and nod in harrowed agreement, as they look at their son playing with his dolls or their daughter rolling her trucks across the floor, desperately wanting them to fit in.

As harmless as the commercial may seem, it presents the problem of continuing prejudice against those who don’t follow traditional gender roles. It would be much better to set the example of a parent who fully embraces and accepts his or her child’s gender non-conformity.

—Taylor McCabe, 19, Contributor

Most of us are aware of how fashion magazines and lipstick commercials too often depict women: We’re reduced to overly sexualized, dolled-up mannequins in skimpy clothes and lots of makeup. And the result is harmful: women are constantly exposed to commercial ideals of beauty and impossibly Photoshopped models, which can be extremely damaging to their body image. One way to combat this over-sexualization is comprehensive sexual education, which teaches young women about healthy body image and that they can combat sexualization.

Artist Yolanda Dominguez has come up with another, more unusual way to tackle the problem. Her latest project puts those unrealistic, sexualized magazine images in new perspective. “Poses” captures the ridiculous nature of many magazine photos and uses the humorous result to share an important message. Dominguez had women “pose” to recreate the positions and expressions seen in fashion spreads, then displayed the original photos and remakes side by side online. Her subjects are far from high fashion; the women are certainly much more like our moms and neighbors than supermodels. And her settings are everyday scenes.

The result is incredibly bizarre. Put into a real-world context, the images become ridiculous. It’s almost impossible to believe that they were shot to sell handbags and high heels in the first place. Dominguez makes us consider how lots of make-up and special lighting have made us forget that these poses are unnatural to the point of absurdity. That we hold them as a standard makes little sense—they’re impossible.

Dominguez hopes we will also wonder why men in magazines are rarely shown in such absurd poses. According to the artist, in photo shoots men emphasize their strength, standing up with broad shoulders and straight backs. In other words, they seem fit, while women—often emaciated, contorted, and wearing sour expressions—are portrayed as exactly the opposite. It would appear that the body image magazines promote in women is not only sexualized but also simply unhealthy. Whether or not this double standard exists across all fashion spreads, Dominguez’s chosen images of women seem to speak for themselves. “We don’t identify with this type of woman—we are much more,” explains Dominguez.

—Meg Gibbon, 19, Contributor

In the hit single “Teenage Dream,” Katy Perry sings, “You think I’m pretty without any make-up on,” gushing about the special guy who accepts her for who she is. Maybe Rolling Stone magazine should start taking some cues from this popular song.

Last month, Perry was featured on the cover of Rolling Stone wearing sexy lingerie and her signature doe-eyed expression. At first glance, this looks like a typical photo, but a quick glimpse of the “before” and “after” pictures tells a very different story.

With the help of Photoshop, Perry’s thighs become instantly thinner, her breasts grow an extra cup size, her right hand completely changes position and any lingering blemishes and skin folds are magically removed. While such extensive retouching is nothing new, it is important to remember that even the most stunning celebrities and models are changed to fit impossible beauty ideals. No wonder Perry feels like she’s living a “teenage dream” when she finally finds someone who appreciates her natural, un-Photoshopped beauty.

—Cynthia Lam, 17, Staff Writer

via Sociological Images

Have you ever looked at a magazine and been awed by how flawless and beautiful everybody seemed, and then felt that you were less than adequate? Women are not the only ones that are made to feel like they should resemble Victoria’s Secret models. Advertisers and magazines target men with pictures of perfection just as often as they target women.

In this clip from the video, “Bigger, Faster, Stronger,” Chris Bell talks to photographers and discovers that images of men’s bodies are subjected to unbelievable manipulation just as often as their female counterparts. Take a look at what happens when Chris takes a “before” picture, and then an “after” picture. For his “after” picture, he gets his eyebrows plucked and his body shaved and spray tanned before taking his photo. The picture of his body is then further manipulated by using editing software.

Watching the graphic artist broaden Chris’ shoulders and enhance his abdomen to make him look “buff” makes it obvious that male perfection is something that can be virtually created with a few clicks of a mouse.

Magazines and ads show us perfect bodies, but wouldn’t it be great if some of those images included average looking, healthy bodies? Then maybe some people would get the message that they can be happy with their bodies just the way they are.

—Lina Chappelle, 16, Staff Writer