Mayim Bialik: The Problem With Those Giant Billboards All Over Los Angeles

[big_dog]

ok, here’s my deal: I’m socially conservative even though I’m a liberal. Confused yet? I am a bleeding heart liberal without exception. But I am old-fashioned. My kids have clothes they only wear to synagogue. I don’t favor my kids cursing. I dress modestly. I don’t want my kids learning about sex from billboards. Stuff like that.

Which is why a few billboards I have seen lately really bug me. There is one for Ariana Grande, and I will go ahead and admit I have no idea who she is or what she does. Based on the billboard, she sells lingerie. Or stiletto heels. Or plastic surgery because every woman over 22 wishes she has that body, I’m sure. Why is she in her underwear on this billboard though? And if she has a talent (is she a singer?), then why does she have to sell herself in lingerie? I mean, I know that society is patriarchal and women are expected to be sexy and sexually available no matter what we do in society, but I guess now I need to explain that to my sons?

Then there are the “Masters of Sex” ads. Seriously? How am I supposed to explain those to my kids? Especially my older son who can read? And while I’m having an old lady moment, what’s up with those ads for Levi’s jeans where it’s basically people groping each other as foreplay and undressing each other while making out? Just tearing those jeans off of each other’s bodies like it’s the last day to repopulate the earth. I saw this ad when I went to see the latest “Planet of the Apes” movie a month or so ago and I thought to myself, “I don’t want my kids seeing this ad if they come to the movies.” I just don’t want them to see this ad.

There’s also some billboard for a new show about teenagers in school or something and one of the girls depicted is I guess the “mean girl” and she is flipping the bird in her poster. She’s clearly a young teenager, but I’m wondering why I need her giving the finger in this ad. Am I a crotchety old lady? I guess so. But I just don’t understand why this is what ads need to look like. What good does it do for humanity or society? Why do I have to be OK with young women literally in lingerie on gigantic billboards? If I want to see women in lingerie, I can walk through any mall with a Victoria’s Secret. You know what I think the secret is? The secret is that when there is no camera around, Victoria probably likes a cozy robe, a cup of tea, and Jean-Paul Sartre’s autobiography. OK, maybe that’s just me, but still.

Just sayin’. http://www.kveller.com/mayim-bialik/mayim-bialik-the-problem-with-that-giant-billboard-of-ariana-grande/

[Nye Bevan]

1. Does this woman ever take her kids to the beach? (nt)

[WinkyDink]

64. I think you know your "analogy" is ridiculous.

[alp227]

2. Anti-vaxxer - AND a prude. SMH.

If she wants to believe that sex is sinful, fine. Don't expect the rest of modern society to respect her opinion.

[ChisolmTrailDem]

7. Interesting that she plays a sexually deprived (and possibly bisexual) character on TV. And quite

humorously.

I didn't know about her stance on vaccinations.

[frazzled]

3. I don't think it means you are socially conservative if you feel this way

After all, you can avidly support all manner of social equality: civil rights, gay rights, income equality, gender equality as well as freedom of expression and still not be comfortable with all the sexualization of advertising or exposure to children. So while you might be fine with Masters of Sex (and from the few episodes I've seen--we don't get Showtime or whatever it's on, but we sometimes get free previews--it seems great), you don't necessarily want your younger, not-ready-to-process-it-all-yet children exposed to it. That's not being socially conservative: that's being a good parent, attuned to the developmental needs of your children.

[alp227]

17. So should public advertising of shows like "Masters of Sex" be banned?

Of course parents can choose not to subscribe to Showtime. Doesn't mean that they can shield their kids from outdoor advertising for "adult content".

[MoonchildCA]

33. I agree. I don't consider that socially conservative either.

I didn't even let my daughter watch Friends, a show that I really liked, when she was young because I didn't want her to feel that everyone was that promiscuous. There was a lot of first date sex on that show and I didn't her to see that as the norm. I protected her from things so she could enjoy a certain amount of childhood innocence, within reason, of course. At 24, she appreciates that.

Yet I consider myself extremely socially liberal. I like Mayim Bialik, but I think she's misusing the term.

[ChazII]

77. You are not alone as

I did that with my son who just turned 30. There is just a certain amount of that childhood innocence that should be protected. He had enough with 2 surgeries by the age of 7 and yes visits to the beach. Not to mention he looks the Disney version of Quasimodo which exposed him to the more cruel side of human nature.

[unblock]

4. before i had a kid, i never understood the "how do i explain that to my kid" argument.

now that i have a kid, i still don't understand it.

i routinely explain lots of things to my kid, and some of those explanations i get wrong, and later i try explaining better.

so?



the other day mini-unblock brought home an easter book from school. did i say "how do i explain that"?
no, i simply explained that other people, including some of his friends, celebrate easter. we don't, we have other holidays like passover and hannukah. big deal, not hard to explain.

i'm pissed at the school, it's a public school and having books that talk about only christian holidays is not cool (unless they have an appropriate number of comparable books from a number of other religions, which i doubt), but "how do i explain that to my kid" isn't the issue.

[jberryhill]

11. Seriously

Having raised a handful of them (mine and my second wife's), I am mystified by how these "how do I explain to my kid" things that people go on about.

And that whole "I'm a liberal" thing at the beginning is equally puzzling.

Being a liberal does not mean living one's life in any particular manner other than how one chooses to live it. I don't expect the rest of the world to accommodate my tastes, nor do I expect it to conform to mine.

[unblock]

12. that's the socially conservative bit. if i have a problem with the world, the world must change.

[big_dog]

14. the billboard she speaks of is kinda demure for a record cover

[hifiguy]

21. What is the issue with this?

People wear far less at any public beach.

[ProfessorGAC]

24. And, Is That Even Lingerie?

That could be a summer sun outfit. And, those don't look like stiletto heels either.

She just seems like a nice looking young woman dressed casually. I was expecting something far more provocative when i read the Bialeik screed.

[Orrex]

25. You can almost see toe-cleavage.

Scandalous!

[petronius]

32. She complained about that, and couldn't even give a shout-out to Angelyne?

[MoonchildCA]

34. Ha! Angelyne lives somewhere within my vicinity.

I've passed her in shops before, and sometimes see her car around town. She's interesting...

[hifiguy]

35. Yeah, really.

When I go to LA the first thing I do is go to In-N-Out Burger. The second is look for the latest Angelyne billboard. It just isn't LA without burgers and Angelyne.

[SummerSnow]

44. Looks like they're wearing the same outfit here. She probably was 18 here too.

[merrily]

52. I think she didn't want people to think she was religious right, just because

she is religiously observant, apparently a conservative sect of Judaism, too.

[underpants]

15. Same here. But these are really easy for me

I look my daughter straight in the face and say, "Go ask your mother" and go back to watching TV.

Just kidding

[Warpy]

31. Face it, some people with kids are dumb as stumps

and haven't got a clue about what "age appropriate" means when they explain things.

I knew where babies came from at four. I didn't know how they got there for a few more years.

That's what I mean by age appropriate.

[trumad]

5. Didn't she breast feed her kid until he was like 9 or something.

[MohRokTah]

8. Four.

She's really wackadoo.

[ChisolmTrailDem]

9. Was that her? Four? nt

[MohRokTah]

10. Yep

She's completely wackadoo.

[Ilsa]

43. That's a personal parenting choice. It's certainly less

"Wackado" than many other popular parenting choices these days, like parenting with Wiis and X-Boxes, feeding a child crappy food, or letting them be exposed to violence in movies, etc.

[MohRokTah]

45. It's borderline abuse. eom

[newcriminal]

46. Borderline abuse?

Now who is wackadoo?

Breastfeeding your child at four is much less wachadoo than someone who thinks that's abuse.

[Ilsa]

55. It might be borderline for you, but that's just your opinion.

I've never heard of pediatricians turning in families for extended breastfeeding.

Nursing mothers all over the world breastfeed beyond what is typical for the US without any problems.

[laundry_queen]

60. Yep. My Ukrainian grandmother

breastfed her kids anywhere from 2-4 years, as did her mother. It was totally normal in the 'old country'. It's Americans that aren't 'normal'. I breastfed my kids from 2-4 years as well, as did a bunch of my friends. Where I live, breastfeeding until at least 2 is very common. A friend of mine did that with twins. Heck, back in the 70's, my mom made it to nearly a year with my brother. My aunt breastfed my cousin for 2 years back in the 70's. Mayim Bialik may be a bit 'different' on some things, but this isn't one of them. I think people who haven't been exposed to breastfeeding as normal, tend to get a really weird view of it.

[Ilsa]

61. I've met plenty of moms who breastfeed long term, even in

the US. Their kids are happy, healthy, well-adjusted and smart. The kids aren't "forced" to nurse; they just aren't ready to completely wean. Most of them are nursing only once or twice a day.

[laundry_queen]

74. Exactly.

I've met quite a few in the US and Canada too. Actually - it was a long time ago we all used to have an online group and we would have get togethers every once in awhile. Those babies are all grown up now and the ones I'm still in touch with, all the those kids who are now adults are all 'normal' by all measures.

By the time my oldest (who is my one who nursed the longest) weaned, she was nursing maybe once every couple of weeks...when she had a tantrum or got really hurt. By then it was just comfort. My other kids weren't quite as high needs as my oldest was and they weaned earlier. I never had to force them to nurse. I always LMAO when I hear that, anyone who has tried to wean a kid before they are ready knows how silly that is. I did the "don't offer, don't refuse" thing. It worked wonderfully.

[MohRokTah]

6. Tonight, on a very special edition of Big Bang Theory...

[underpants]

13. Tonight..... on a very special Blossom...

Someone tells Blossom that she needs to stop documenting her petty first world problems


Damn you bear me to it MohRokTah

[B2G]

16. Women in bikinis in Sports Illistrated...

feminist outrage over their objectification!

Women in underwear on a billboard..."Mayim, shut you prude!"

Make up your freakin minds already.

[alp227]

19. First of all, do you even know what feminism is?

Do you not think SI Swimsuit covers do objectify women?

I think it's possible walk and chew gum at the same time. You can't expect outdoor advertising to be rated G but can critically understand the message delivered by companies that use sex to sell products.

[B2G]

23. Maybe you could help me to understand the difference

between the two?

Women in bikinis in Sports Illustrated, bad.
Women on billboards in underwear, good.

I'm really trying to understand.

[alp227]

39. You're making up a strawman. I never said there was a difference.

You are conflating two different issues. I'm just saying Mayim Bialik has unrealistic expectations of decency for outdoor advertising. You'll never understand, since your premise is faulty.

[leftynyc]

37. I'm having a hard time

distinguishing between the two. Why is is different for Sport's Illustrated? They're both using sex to sell a product.

[alp227]

40. I never said it was different.

All I'm saying: Expecting outdoor ads to be family-friendly is unrealistic for modern society.

[Chan790]

68. Shockingly, I find myself sympathetic to Bialik's position.

Why should it be unrealistic to expect outdoor ads and commercials to be "family-friendly" in public spaces? The fact that we need to even have this conversation indicates to me that we're perhaps not as modern or enlightened as we want to think ourselves. The same people criticizing Mayim Bialik's "prudishness" would be rightfully angry if someone erected this billboard across the street from their local amusement park:



...or opened an all-nude gentleman's club across the street from their children's daycare...

or ran a red-band trailer for a pornographic film before the latest Pixar or Disney film marketed to kids.

I'm openly the most skeevy pervy person in the Lounge most days, but I do believe there should be limitations...not legally on speech or expression...but certainly on what we deem socially-acceptable in the public space. Just because I can erect a billboard of my erection doesn't mean that others need to passively condone or accept the erection of my erection. The proper response is to do what Bialik has done...gripe loudly about why you feel it's indecent. If more people did that and less people passively-accepted that which they find foul, we'd probably live in a much more pleasant society.

[alp227]

73. One thing of these billboards were near family oriented places

Another if anywhere else in town. Should better billboards also not be allowed? Because children?

[hifiguy]

22. .....

[librechik]

18. who are we to question the will of a thousand focus groups? n/t

[Algernon Moncrieff]

20. ..and some answers for you, Mayim

Ariana Grande - She sings pop tunes and appears on a show on Nickelodeon. Remember when you played "Blossom"? Yeah-- this is basically the 2010's version.

How am I supposed to explain those to my kids? - You do the same thing my parents did when I asked about the stores with XXX written on them -- explain it to them. If they are old enough to ask, they are old enough to know -- in an age appropriate way.

Am I a crotchety old lady? - This is a phenomenon known as you-are-turning-into-your-parents. There is no known cure. Perhaps there might be some kind of immunization some day...but you're against those, aren't you.

[burfman]

26. It terms of damage, maybe those ads for beer & hard liquor are worse.

I've noticed that in the last few years there has been an explosion of ad's on TV for hard liquor....

Beer ad's as usual are all over the place....

I'm not opposed to drinking, I do it from time to time as do the majority of us, it's do we really need the added encouragement?

Slapping a 'drink responsibly' slogan at the end doesn't make up for the loss of life that actually takes place.

The country did remove tobacco ads from the tv, so why not the alcohol too?

If beer ads were banned on TV would the NFL collapse, would the programming on TV get any worse?

Burfman...

[hifiguy]

29. It comes down to the fact that you can drink moderately

without doing yourself any damage. There is no way to smoke cigarettes without harming your health.

[burfman]

38. Perhaps, but is it moral to encourage this by advertising so this misery can be made worse?

That's true, but if you look at how many people die from drunk driving in a year:

In 2012, 10,322 people were killed and approximately 345,000 were injured. -

From http://www.madd.org/drunk-driving/#sthash.jYWUl6rt.dpuf

And how many die from chronic drinking:

Drinking too much can harm your health. Excessive alcohol use led to approximately 88,000 deaths and 2.5 million years of potential life lost (YPLL) each year in the United States from 2006 – 2010, shortening the lives of those who died by an average of 30 years.1,2 Further, excessive drinking was responsible for 1 in 10 deaths among working-age adults aged 20-64 years.

http://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/alcohol-use.htm


one wonders about the morality of letting advertising for this continue......

Burfman

[trumad]

27. Here's the billboard that has her worried.

Seriously---that's it?

[hifiguy]

30. That wouldn't have raised the eyebrows of

anyone but the most prudish even in the 1960s. Maybe even the 1950s. Some people.

[Nye Bevan]

48. I guess she doesn't ever take her kids to the beach (nt)

[LawDeeDah]

50. That's a beautiful photo, but man, has she got a huge head.

[Scootaloo]

76. Naw, the photo angle just makes her shoulders look really skinny and out of proportion

Also, plastic surgery? WTF is the author talking about?

[chrisa]

58. I can't stop staring at the bad Photoshop.

Awful.

[AngryAmish]

69. I think see needs to up her lawn surveillance budget by 75%

[JI7]

28. she isn't a very good singer at all

[thelordofhell]

36. Good thing she doesn't live in Las Vegas

She'd have a lot of explaining to do..............

[wyldwolf]

41. Ariana Grande

Her role in Victorious was annoying, but she played it well. My daughter is 9 and we watch the show. In my opinion, it's a very talented young ensemble. I was surprised Grande can actually sing. First time I saw her live she wasn't lip syncing and came across very well.

Female artists have used their looks to their advantage since the dawn of pop music. This is nothing new.

I do get tired of the 'everything in this generation sux' attitude from some.

[Nye Bevan]

47. My daughter loves that show but I find it annoying.

Except for the "Breakfast Bunch" episode which is a pretty funny, surprisingly near the knuckle parody of "The Breakfast Club".

[Blue_Adept]

62. That episode was a real highlight

I really don't care for the show in general and Grande's character bothered me to no end. I was glad my daughter had outgrown some of these shows by the time the Sam and Cat show came out. Grande really comes across the same way in her press interviews as well, kind of disconnected and all. It's really offputting. That said, while I won't seek out her music, I won't change the station either if I'm on a pop one for a few days.

[Cleita]

42. Is this the first time she's noticed sexy bill boards all over Los Angeles?

I can remember them since I was a kid and I'm almost 75 years old. Whether they are advertising movies, concerts or Las Vegas shows, they have always been part of the landscape.

[WinkyDink]

65. So, you're criticizing her TIMING?

[gratuitous]

49. Here's what my parents told me

When I asked precocious questions or was confused by something that was a bit too advanced for my juvenile sensibilities, my parents would say, "You'll know when you're older." If I ever have kids, I plan on doing the same thing, because after all that's what happened to me, and I turned out all right.

Hee hee.

I crack myself up.

But seriously, Mayim: You don't have to explain every little thing to your boys.* Some of it they'll figure out for themselves. Other stuff they'll make assumptions about and get it wrong, which may turn out to be even more instructive than getting it right the first time.

*And for some reason, I doubt that your kids are asking you pointed questions about each and every billboard in the greater Los Angeles area or each and every boutique in the mall.

[KamaAina]

51. Well, there goes that infatuation

[wyldwolf]

53. Well, Mayim - I got one less problem without you.

?list=RDiS1g8G_njx8

[Feral Child]

54. Brilliant woman.

PhD in Biochem or some-such. Extremely talented actor/comedian.

Orthodox Jew.

I cut a lot of slack to talented actors. Gary Oldman is a conservative, but the man is an incredible actor, a true artist.

Talentless hacks like Stevie Baldwin is another matter. Unforgivable.

Also, absolute racist, homophobic and anti-semitic nut-jobs like Gibson get nothing from me either. The guy isn't a great talent, to me, merely a somewhat talented guy filled with hatred. Won't watch, certainly won't pay for his propaganda/films.

[cwydro]

56. No no, I can tell you what is worse Mayim

watching tv with my 88 year old mom and all those damn Cialis commercials.

Gah!

[Shankapotomus]

57. If she had argued it from the

perspective of asking "What are our values as a culture when sex and appearance get priority in advertising and entertainment?", she might have made a stronger point.

As badly as she tried to make her point, I feel, ultimately, she is right. It's like we can't offer ourselves anything more than base attractions as if there are no others.

[trumad]

70. perhaps with other examples

But the billboard picture.. not so much.

[Shankapotomus]

71. she could have picked her battles better, agreed. n/t

[ZombieHorde]

59. Personally, I care more when my kids see

homeless people. I hate explaining to them that we live in a callous, meaningless world where many starve so a few can be very wealthy.

[nomorenomore08]

63. +1000

I think Ms. Bialik is in serious need of some perspective.

[WinkyDink]

66. Because you know how she addresses other topics? She states she is a LIBERAL.

[nomorenomore08]

67. I still find her views on, say, the Ariana Grande billboard a bit overwrought.

[Cleita]

80. Her concerns are overwrought.

There have been "pin up" style photos of attractive women on bill boards since I can remember during WWII, attractive men too. Betty Grable in a swimsuit pose that became iconic for troops going into combat. Rita Hayworth as Gilda and so many more. In more recent time but still for decades a woman called Angelina put her bosomy likeness on bill boards all over Hollywood. I think she's in her eighties now. Generations of teen age boys saw those bill boards and since many of them are in their seventies today seem to have grown up and led ordinary lives in spite of them.

[hifiguy]

84. I don't think Angelyne is that old.

I saw one of her billboards when I visited a friend in LA in 2000-01 timeframe. She's been around since the 1970s, though IIRC

[Cleita]

85. I remember her being in her sixties a couple of decades ago.

Her bill boards were very airbrushed.

[Cleita]

82. I could state I have four arms but that doesn't make it true unless

there is proof.

[MadrasT]

72. The prude shaming in this thread is pitiful.

Judging a woman by your perception of her sexual availability or activity is wrong, no matter if you are judging her to be a "slut" or judging her to be a "prude"

Calling her a prude is sad, immature, and doesn't have fuck-all to do with anything.

I am also tired of seeing so-called "artists" get attention because they sex themselves up and are easy on the eyes. What the fuck that has to do with SINGING, I will never comprehend.

[Ilsa]

75. Democrats are the last people who should be criticizing

Someone else's lifestyle. They should be more accepting. MB is well-informed about her choices in life. Good for her that she lives as she pleases and tries to raise her children according to her values.

[phylny]

78. Agreed. I don't agree with her in every respect,

but she is certainly allowed to have her perspective, and I can choose not to read or disagree with her, but I won't ridicule her.

[Cleita]

81. I understand she keeps a kosher kitchen too.

Does that mean we all have to or restaurants she might eat at have to? She's imposing her religious beliefs on the rest of us and that's not kosher.

[Ilsa]

87. Why would her keeping a kosher kitchen mean

that anyone else has to? If she was the last person on the planet keeping a kosher kitchen, it wouldn't mean anyone else would or even a restaurant.

[knownow]

79. Billboards aren't the problem

Mayim's problem stems from a lack of imagination that is also evidenced by the fact that she gave her child breast milk long after it could walk. I believe in breastfeeding but there is a limit and she's well outside of that limit herself, so complaining about billboards that are outrageous just seems weak and lazy. Mayim, use a blindfold that way he won't see the billboards, take a different route, get the back windows tinted, play games that will keep his mind off of the billboards. It's up to you.

[Cleita]

83. I won't criticize a woman for her choice in breast feeding, how long or even

the choice not to breast feed. It's her body and her decision. I do agree that if the standards of dress aren't what she likes, move. I understand in Saudi Arabia, there are no women running around in skimpy or tight clothes. However, she might have to explain to her sons why those people are getting beheaded or stoned in a public place.

[knownow]

86. breasts are over sexualized

that was why I used that particular point. If suckling from the breast is okay with the child after it learns to talk I feel it's okay too. I had to drive my niece to another school district closer to where I worked so I could pick her up before 6 o'clock. The streets we used were rife with stripper bars between her school and our home, in the morning it didn't matter but after dark there would be LIVE NUDE GIRLS neon signs everywhere. The first day I knew I'd take her home via another route. I couldn't let her see these places, I didn't know what to say. Her father blew her inheritance on strippers and call girls so I was desperate to avoid that conversation. What her mother came up with was simple, she gave her a light blocking eye cover and told her to "power nap" on the way home.

[displacedtexan]

88. I have a bigger problem with spelling on signs...

If you've ever had to explain why QUICK is spelled QWIK to a child, you know what I'm talking about.

As for the sexy billboards, I just explain how sad it is that these girls have to do embarrassing things to make money and remain relevant in Hollywood. Seems to work. I also wouldn't let my daughter stop playing With her Barbie Ice Cream Shop toy and change clothes for a date with Ken because barbie was a minimum wage worker and couldn't afford to go home early. That worked, too.