She's Gotten a Lot of Mileage, but the Ride is Still Smooth

Ordinarily I like to introduce my weekly posts with a cute little anecdote in the hopes it’ll make you interested enough to continue reading, but today we’re going to mix it up a bit and play a game. There’s only one round, and before you finishing scrolling to the end I’d like you to guess what the following seven objects have in common.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own these pictures, nor do I claim to. All were obtained for a onetime-use, academic purpose only (ie: my blog style writing class). The seventh image is sexually suggestive, so if your computer screen is currently easily viewable by others, continue at your own discretion.

1. A set of plastic ware, complete with utensils, plates, cups, napkins, and condiment containers. Great for parties.

2. Tissues. Great for nose-wiping (though not nearly as effective as nose-picking), clogging toilets, removing makeup, and getting over a heart-wrenching breakup.

3. A camera. Because a picture is worth 1,000 words. Even duck-faced selfies.

4. Fast Flats. Perfect for avoiding blisters.

5. Bandages. The panacea for owies and boo boos. The best ones have cartoons on them.

6. Medical gloves. Used by surgeons, biology lab students, and hair dye lovers alike.

7. A used car ad by Aston Martin.

Confused? Figured it out? Think this activity is stupid?

These seven OBJECTS are DISPOSABLE. Manufactured to be thrown away. Meant for single-use only. Valueless afterward.

I logged on with the intent of writing something about gender role reversal, because I just so happen to have a story about that, plus it’s pertinent to my other posts. But then I checked Facebook and #7 was the FIRST THING IN MY NEWSFEED.

I’m going to save the hypersexualized culture discussion for another day. I do have to keep my posts relevant to a single topic, so instead let’s talk about the blasé attitude about casual sex this ad promotes.

The problem with casual sex, ladies, isn’t the act itself. For some, it’s fun. And, in college, hooking up is sometimes the most viable option.

The hook up culture becomes a problem when it endorses the idea that women are disposable. Which is exactly what  #7 portrays—and keep in mind it’s a CAR ADVERTISEMENT.

A woman’s virginity is her own business. She is not a single-use item. And men who sleep with non-virgins aren’t performing some grand act of kindness. They’re not recycling for a greener Earth.

A woman is not like #1, dirty after a party. She’s not like #2, identical to the 79 others in the box and on every kid’s school supply list. She’s not like #3, something bought in a hotel gift shop because you forgot your good one at home. She’s not like #4, a $10 backup from Wal Mart. She’s not like #5, a quick fix and best removed with one, fast yank. She’s not like #6, one size fits all.

There shouldn’t even be a question as to whether a woman is “worth” more her first time or hundredth. She is a person with inherent dignity, meant to be cherished and loved. She is due respect.

And don’t try to spin it that this ad is indicative of sexual liberation. Because what it’s implying is that women, like cars, aren’t really supposed to be reused but they can be. I bet Aston Martin sells great used cars. Oh wait, I’m sorry, I believe the phrase is PREOWNED cars. Case in point.

Until advertisements like this include nearly naked men in them, too, then hooking up will be nothing more than revamped age-old sexual double standards. If modern-day casual sex was truly representative of a more egalitarian practice (as opposed to traditional dating, in which the man has control over the date and the woman has control over what happens afterward), we wouldn’t have car ads commentating on the value (or lack thereof) of a woman’s virginity.

End of rant. I vote that next week we go back to the cute anecdotes, because games make me mad.






*After further research, I discovered that the Aston Martin ad was a hoax, but my points are still valid. Below is a real ad by BMW.