Something Up With Which I Will Not Put

Yes, today is International Women's Day - is that why the Gazette chose to run a quarter-page ad today, urging people to "ask your doctor" about weight-loss methods?

Not just any old weight-loss ad, either.

The first two lines of the ad are "I am Julie. Last night, I did a striptease for my husband."

Then comes the picture - a woman's body, from just below the waist to just above the knee, dressed in black garter belt and panties, turned slightly to one side.

Finally, the big question - "what would you do with a few less pounds?"

Where do I start?

On International Women's Day, here's an that takes up 25% of the page, in which (a) women's bodies are reduced to specific parts, and (b) women's body images are strictly understood in terms of women as sexual objects.

We've come a long way, baby.

Update
The Gazette, and others like it, have pulled the ad in question due to generally negative reactions from readers. Although the ad does not specifically name a product, the ad comes from a pharmaceutical company, which cannot directly advertise a weight-loss medication, but can urge you to "ask your doctor" about "methods" for weight loss. Oh, and the medication in question is not just a weight-management drug, it's available through prescription only in cases of clinical obesity.

For balance, may I suggest Barbara's Story.