No Surprise, New PETA Ad Objectifies Women

PETA’s at it again with another ad that may trigger survivors of sexual violence.  (Please take that into consideration should you decide to watch the video at the link.)

The commercial shows an injured young woman, without pants, carrying home groceries.  The narrator then introduces the young woman as Jessica and says, “She suffers from ‘BWVAKTBOOM,’ ‘Boyfriend Went Vegan and Knocked the Bottom Out of Me,’ a painful condition that occurs when boyfriends go vegan and can suddenly bring it like a tantric porn star.”

Then, we see Jessica’s lover ask if she is alright while covering a hole in the bedroom drywall with spackle.

Scrolling through the video responses, they video has managed to capture the vitriol of a storming mob who feel this advertisement is much more than a playful thirty seconds about sex, and pokes fun at the experiences of women who have experienced various forms of partner violence.

PETA has a history of using hypersexualized campaigns, usually objectifying women. Most will recognize  images from PETA’s “Human Meat” Campaign, featuring naked women wrapped in a life-sized, styrofoam meat tray as part of public direct actions throughout the world.

But does an organization like PETA, which dominates much of the dialogue around the ethical treatment of animals and ethical food industry standards have a larger obligation to the public?  Let me know your thoughts below.