You have to pay extra for the "hot chick clause."
It’s a dangerous world, y’all. Bad stuff can happen, and that’s what insurance is for.
And Allstate’s recent ad campaign would like to remind you that “bad stuff’ means women. I’ve been seeing this ad, in which “Mayhem”, personified by a 30-something white dude, defines it/him-self as a dipshit teenage girl texting while driving a huge pink (of course) SUV, and that pissed me off. I also saw a few other blogs (Sociological Images, which you should be reading, and I think over at Shakesville, too?) take it on, so I refrained.
And then I saw the follow-up, where Mayhem (same dude) is jogging along the street, wearing a pink (of course) headband and talking about how his/her exercise-toned hot bod is going to fuck your shit up. And indeed, some other white dude, driving along with his eyes bugging out of his head at Mayhem’s amaaaaaazing imaginary rack and taut buttocks, rams his car into a tree.
Totally Mayhem’s fault, amirite? I mean, jeez, how can any man expect to safely operate a motor vehicle when there are women out there moving their bodies in public? You can’t. And you are seriously going to need some heavy-duty insurance against the predations of fitness-minded women. Those hot bitches are everywhere. …I wonder if Allstate sells rapist’s insurance?
I don’t have a car or car insurance. But you might. And you might have your insurance with Allstate. If you do, can I convince you to contact your provider and let them know that their ads are giant steaming piles of FAIL? Can I convince you to write a letter or make a call, or maybe even change your insurance, letting them know why?
Allstate can be contacted here :
- 1-800 ALLSTATE (255-7828)
- Via email
- Allstate Insurance Company
P.O. Box 12055 1819 Electric Rd. SW Roanoke, VA 24018
Do it to it.
WOW. I didn’t even notice the pink aspect of these ads or I would have been PISSED. Women are actually better drivers statistically – that’s why we pay less for car insurance.
Tools.
Email sent.
@sybann: That’s what makes me particularly nuts about the first ad. Teenage MALE drivers are statistically way more likely to crash, which is why families with teenage daughters pay lower premiums to insure their kids than families with teenage sons.
Allstate obviously already knows because their legions of actuaries have crunched that data for ages. But they still choose to promote their product by presenting teenage girls as reckless and dumb.
And this story just hit the front page of the NYT: Deadliest for City’s Walkers: Male Drivers, Left Turns
…and then lots of comments about how that just can’t be so.
Isn’t there a cliche about feminists being easily offended? I think this might fall into that category.
Sybann–I’m curious about what you wrote to Allstate. Would you share it?
Thank you! Those ads have been pissing me off for weeks now.
charlemagne – how much sexism, exactly, is ok?
Yeah, the “teenage girl” one was balanced out by the “asshole rich guy” one but the jogger pushes it over the line.
@charlemagne: Isn’t there a cliche about men dismissing women’s anger at sexism by saying that they’re are just “easily offended?” I think this might fall into that category.
Urgh, I saw this ad when I was at the theater today seeing The Kids Are All Right (great movie, by the way!) and at first I thought it was one of those CapitalOne ads they used to run about identity theft—it would’ve been marginally funny that way. But this is just ignorant and boneheaded.
I have also been bummed that Dennis Duffy’s ads are so obnoxious. I had high hopes for him.
I like Jamie Keiles’ take on the earlier ad.
http://www.teenagerie.com/2010/08/allstate-teenage-girls-are-like-sooo.html
Too right, charlemagne. The problem here is that “feminists” are “offended.” I’ll go sit down now and wait for you to tell me what to think and how to feel.
I’ll bite anyway: That offending statistically good drivers and sending them to other providers was probably not a good business strategy.
AND offensive.
You know I actually like those mayhem ads. They’re kind of dark but funny.
But I hadn’t thought about it in this light. Someone mentioned earlier ‘the “teenage girl” one was balanced out by the “asshole rich guy”’ which I agree with, but I haven’t seen this jogger one yet. It sounds like utter BS, you said it best in that 2nd-to-last para.
Email sent! Thanks for providing the link; it was a pleasure to let Allstate know that they’ve lost me as a potential customer
[...] critic Joe Dellosa’s column, which criticized the same sexist Allstate commercials that PhDork posted about earlier this month. Jezebel syndicated it and it’s truly worth a read, if for no other reason [...]