Carl’s Jr. Representative,
My name is Nicole Prentice and I am a senior at Brigham
Young University majoring in Family Life with a Human Development emphasis.
Several of my classes have encouraged me to be more aware of the media that I listen
to, view, or experience in some other way. I will be graduating in December and
feel that as a more educated consumer of the media, I need to be more critical
of what I see and take a stand when I feel that it is necessary.
I do enjoy eating out at fast food restaurants on occasion.
I am one of those people who like to try new menu items at least once to see
how they are and if they were a good addition or not. I look to commercials to
find out about the new items, but recently I have been very disappointed with
the commercials from your company.
I know that sex sells, but each time I see one of your
commercials that sexualizes women (or men), it sickens me and instead of
encouraging me to try the new menu item, it causes me to think of your company
as demeaning to women. The most recent commercial that I can think of that fits
this description is the commercial with the two scantily-clad women grilling
who put pulled pork on a hamburger. Honestly, the sandwich does sound good to
me, but the commercial is so degrading and disgusting that I refuse to buy the
meal because I do not want to support such advertising.
I have noticed in the past that many of your commercials
have been similar to this, and so I honestly cannot remember the last time I
chose to support your company and eat at one of your establishments. I have
even encouraged my friends and family members to avoid eating at your
restaurants because of your advertisements. I find this to be sad because I do
enjoy the food that you serve, but I cannot with good conscience give money to
a company who so disturbingly degrades and sexualizes women. I have compared
your advertisements to those of other leading fast food chains, and while most
do have some sexualization of women, none compare to yours in how graphic it is
and in how much it repulses me.
Social learning theory tells us that everyone, and especially
children, learn from what they view in the environment and they try to change
their lives to fit in with what they perceive to be the accepted way of life. So
many young girls watch television and instead of seeing positive portrayals of
women that teach them to get an education and stand up for themselves, they
often see sexualized portrayals that convince them that in order to be liked or
be successful, they need to wear provocative clothing and chase after the men
who are attracted to such distasteful behavior and clothing.
As a daughter, granddaughter, niece, sister, and expecting
mother, I am very disturbed to see that the commercials you choose to air do
not focus on the food, but instead often perpetuate the portrayal of women as
objects of desire. I am writing to ask you to please clean up the
advertisements that you use so that you are not helping to expand the
stereotypes that young girls often believe and live up to. I know that I would
be much more likely to buy your food and recommend your food to my family and
friends if you chose to have positive portrayals of men and women in your ads.
Instead of only focusing on the men who buy your food, think
of all of the men, women, and young children who are viewing these ads and
whose ideas about women are altered by watching them. I know that you could tap
into a larger market of family purchasers if you changed your commercials and
made them more tasteful. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Nicole Prentice
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