by Bonnie Meridieth

Created on: October 07, 2009   Last Updated: October 15, 2009

I think the advertising industry has gone crazy. I know, I know, saying that underwear commercials are actually soft core porn is not going to earn me any brownie points with the general public. Most would probably say, "You've got to be kidding"! But let's ask our more conservative folks, is this something you care to see on T.V.?

I know there are programs all over the media that people may or may not want to watch. That is their prerogative, their decision. It's a parents responsibility to make sure what their small children watch on television is age appropriate. But when we're watching television, and a commercial comes on, we lose our choice as to whether we want to watch it or not! By the time we get the remote to change the channel, it's over, damage done.

What damage, you ask? How about the way it makes women feel to watch the perfectly proportioned bodies, of women in a man's T-shirt, dancing around in their underwear, (these are not even presented to sell underwear, but video games)! Or just your basic bra and underwear commercial, again, of those same perfectly proportioned women. At least the "Girls Gone Wild" era seems to be stalled for now. You may say, "That's her own confidence problem". Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. Many a woman's stomach, confident or not, goes in knots while sitting in the privacy of their own living room, watching some woman prance around in front of her husband, boyfriend, and maybe most important, the children, in her underwear. What kind of message does that send them?

Would it be acceptable for us wives or girlfriends to go into somebody's home in our underwear? How about our children walking down the street in their underwear? Or guys, what do you suppose your reaction would be if some "hot" man showed up, in his "hot" underwear, in your house unannounced? Would you offer him a seat to chat with your girlfriend? Probably not. Obviously, these things are not acceptable, so why are we given no choice as to whether we allow these women into our own homes? How do we gain control back?

I'm aware that commercials pay for our programming, and I'm not suggesting any commercials be banned. I'm saying that we should have the right to determine which ones we want allowed in our own individual homes. There is no shortage of advertisers that could take the place of the ones we want excluded from our viewing pleasure. A simple rating and block option, just like they have for television shows would solve the problem. Any commercial deemed not controversial, would not be affected at all. The commercials are necessary, but some of the content is not.

With all the advanced technology we have available to us these days, I would think there would be some way that we could block these commercials out. We can block out shows from our television. We can pick the ratings that are acceptable. Why can't we make that personal decision as to whether we have to watch certain commercials that we find degrading, or humiliating? This does not just apply to underwear commercials either. I'm sure there are many men out there who would prefer to not have tampons and other feminine products marketed to them!

With the programming that many people in our society find acceptable, and even enjoyable to watch, there are those who don't want to watch those same forms of media. And just as it's a person's right to watch what they want to in the privacy of their own home, it should also be the right of people who don't want to watch something in the privacy of their homes. This very much includes commercials. It is time for individual households to have complete control over what is shown in their homes.

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