LETTERS.

GIRL POWER

Ads demeaning men are only a part of the patronising problem

In an age where we are routinely patronised by advertising, I find Francesca Newland's article "Is it time to stop humiliating men in advertising?" (Campaign, 24 August) narrow-sighted.

Demeaning women to sell to men has always been a mainstay of advertising and has become increasingly common so why get all uppity when it swings the other way? Why not focus on the fact that most advertising aimed at both men and women is patronising in the extreme.

Advertising is condescending to men, but only by judging them to be breast-obsessed morons who will only respond to a pair of jugs. The vast majority of men are not like the vast majority of the industry's uncreative teams.

They do not get their (only) kicks from lads' magazines, they have girlfriends/wives, etc. and don't particularly like seeing them portrayed this way. They have many other interests and triggers other than tits, lager and football.

Women are constantly derided by male-aimed advertising too. They are shown to be one-dimensional bimbos who, no matter how attractive or intelligent, will always be put in their place by anything from a mangy cat or some cheap deodorant to a moth-eaten dummy.