Feminists on Alert to Thwart Insult to Women During US Super Bowl

Feminists in the United States have warned they will be on high alert on Sunday to ensure that none of the ads aired on television during the big Super Bowl football event insult women.

"Almost as many women as men watch the Super Bowl and millions of girls and boys are glued to the screen as well," Kim Gandy, head of the National Organization for Women (NOW), said in a statement.

"That's why our feminist ad-watchers will be paying close attention to the commercials and ranking them based on their portrayal of women and other groups who often see themselves stereotyped, ridiculed or just plain missing in high-profile ads," she said.

NOW will release the results of its surveillance effort after Sunday's American professional football final in Arizona between the New England Patriots and the New York Giants.

According to a survey conducted by the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association (RAMA) last month, more than a quarter of the nearly 160 million people expected to watch the Super Bowl will tune in not for the match but for the ads.

More than three-quarters of the 8,447 consumers polled by RAMA between January 2-8 said they look on Super Bowl advertisements as entertainment.

"A lot of retailers and companies launch new commercial campaigns during the Super Bowl coverage," RAMA spokeswoman Ellen Davis told AFP.

"I don't recall any ads being pulled or even sparking controversy, but some have been more racy than others," she said.

According to NOW, companies will be paying around 100,000 dollars (75,000 euros) per second for advertising air-time during the Super Bowl.

"Fox is reportedly charging 2.7 million dollars this year for 30 seconds of commercial time. If advertisers are willing to hand over that kind of dough, then clearly they believe their commercials will make a big impact on the viewing audience," NOW's Gandy said.

Source-AFP
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