Disney: Do They Objectify Mom Bloggers?
I don’t often post for Disney. I posted 2 things for them this week on my other blog Eat Play Rock and hadn’t posted anything for months maybe before that. I have no personal issue with Disney, but apparently others do. As any good ginger who likes to share her opinions {after they have simmered a while}, I thought I would share with you what I think about the post that another blogger wrote about her perceived objectification of women by Disney. And why I think she successfully disproves her argument with her argument.
My Blog. My Choice.
Here are the reasons I do not post often for Disney…
1) It doesn’t pay. Come on, let’s be real here. I work to get paid. Don’t you? Let’s not sugar coat it. Blogging is my profession and I wouldn’t {and couldn’t} do it full time if I weren’t compensated. Having said that, I get lots of paid opportunities and I go with those that work on my blog first. {When you work, don’t you do paid stuff first?} Since Disney doesn’t pay to post, it’s low man on my totem pole. Sure, those that post often for Disney have the *chance* of getting invited to a Red Carpet Event or maybe some movie tickets. And that may be really exciting and fulfilling for them. That is totally cool. I am all about each person’s right to choose. However, for me, a *chance* isn’t quite good enough. I work to get paid. Not for the *chance* of getting paid.
2) It doesn’t really fit. When I first started blogging, Cheap Is The *New* Classy didn’t really have any direction. However, 1.5 years into it, I have decided how I want Cheap Is The *New* Classy to go. I am more interested in blogging about frugal ways to enjoy life: DIY projects, home decor, finance, etc. Posts about Disney movies don’t necessarily fit in with that. But it does really fit in with some blogs. Since I started Eat Play Rock {entertainment website} a couple months ago, I have realized that would be a great place to post some of the Disney posts when I can fit them in. I really enjoy comic film adaptation movies and my readers seem to, as well. Even though it didn’t pay, I posted about the new Thor and Lone Ranger movies this week, so that anyone who wanted to could catch the trailers. 🙂
Having said all that, I have never attended any Disney function. I think it should be apparent that my main goal in life is not to score a Disney Red Carpet event trip. I think that should give what I am about to say some level of unbiasedness {is that a word?}…
No Good Spoof Picture Goes Unpunished
I read that post earlier that slammed Marshall Weinbaum {Disney publicist} about a picture he posted on Facebook. My issue is not that it was taken from his personal Facebook page {hey, I was taught that anything I post on Facebook might be held against me in a court of job interviewers and anyone else, for that matter, as I am sure Marshall was} so the argument about that is moot, as far as I am concerned. I always worry about Facebook wrath when posting pictures as I am sure Marshall was, too. I assume that he and the ladies in the picture were comfortable with the picture {I mean why would they take it if they weren’t?}. I do not know Marshall or any of the mom bloggers in the picture except from minimal online blogging conversation.
At any rate, my understanding is that the picture is meant to be a spoof of National Lampoon’s Vacation. Yet, I don’t see Chevy Chase getting called names in the post. I mean, if we are calling out objectification, shouldn’t we go straight to the source? Don’t put a bandaid over the wound, give that baby some antibiotics and heal it right up. As a person who is NOT bothered by National Lampoon’s Vacation, and feels that National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation is one of the funniest movies EVER, I don’t feel the least objectified. And I bet the women in the original photo didn’t either when they cashed their {what I assume to be} HUGE paychecks!
Incidentally, the artist also took liberties to make Chevy Chase out to be some beefcake Fabio type that we all know he isn’t. Yet, I am not seeing that obvious sexism addressed in this argument either. Having said that, I am wondering if the author found all of the {HAWT!!} promo pictures of Magic Mike sexist? What consenting adults do is between consenting adults. If they are ok with it, then I am, too.
Is The Objectifying Of Women Really A Good Argument Against The Objectification Of Women?
My real concern here is that the entire article seems to me to use the guise of calling out a PR rep’s perceived objectification of women by actually doing the same thing. The writer of the article says..
…if you’re a blogging mom, chances are you have done almost everything except get on your knees…
…umm what? How does one go from writing an article about the supposed objectification of women at the hands of a Disney PR rep then go on to make the bloggers involved sound like gold diggers? Not to mention the all encompassing blanket that she puts over mom bloggers in general {I know many mom bloggers who post nothing or basically nothing for Disney – myself included}. I can’t speak for all mom bloggers, but I WORK. I most definitely do not beg for scraps from a huge company. My blog exists entirely on its own. As a blogging mom, I can tell you now that I have never done anything for any company that I was not comfortable with. I don’t post things that I think are invaluable. I do not review items I am not the least bit interested in. And when I review said items that occasionally turn out to be not what I felt they should be, I let the PR rep and/or company know. I also do not take deals that I do not think are fair {i.e. I will not review a *high definition picture* of an item and I will not post all the *free content* that will bring me *tons of traffic* – you bloggers know what I am talking about}.
I do not grovel to companies for the chance at a trip/tickets, whatever. If I were to work for someone else, would anything I do for said employer be the same? Disney doesn’t pay, sure, but I am also not forced to post anything. If I post something for Disney, it’s just because I wanted to, pro bono, and I treat it as such, much like a lawyer might. I pick and choose as I see fit. My other companies that I have compensated relationships with come first and I have never gotten backlash from Disney or Marshall Weinbaum for that. I do not feel any pressure with my relationship with Disney to even post anything, and more often than not, I don’t. Sure, I may never get invited to an event, but my mortgage gets paid. And I am OK with that. 😉
Name Calling Is So Middle School
“And then I met Marshall Weinbaum….He’s also a raging douche bag.”
Wow. I am not sure if the writer of this article is a mom blogger, but since she feels the need to stand up for mom bloggers everywhere {by making them look like gold digging idiots?}Â I feel I need to defend them . I have already stated that I occasionally post for Disney. I explicitly stated the nature of our relationship above. It is MY choice as to whether I will post or not. We are each accountable for our actions. If I posted and posted and posted for Disney until my little finger fell off and then NEVER got invited to anything, isn’t that partly my fault? Disney is very explicit with the fact that there is no compensation for posting.
And how is that statement not slander? The writer did not say she *thinks* Marshall Weinbaum is a raging douche bag. She stated it as fact. I am no lawyer, but I think if you state something as fact and you can not prove that {um, how would one prove that someone is a douche bag, anyway?} then that is slander. At the very least, it’s highly unprofessional and looks bad on bloggers as a whole. Thanks for that, by the way.
It All Comes Back To Accountability
Back to the point. When I post things that are uncompensated, I generally post what I am really interested in posting {i.e. writing prompts, random holidays, cool sweepstakes I find, etc}. Occasionally that means that a Disney movie gets posted, too.
I do not feel bitter that Disney does not pay me. I am also not bitter about not going on a trip as I do not work myself into the ground trying to score one – once again, it comes down to accountability. I realize that we can not all get a Disney trip and I am OK with that. I have also been afforded many great opportunities in life that others have not. That is life. We can’t ALL get EVERYTHING.
At any rate, there are classier ways to share your frustrations.
Great post Dawn! And let me say that I love ALL of your posts, the sponsored and non-sponsored. I find that alot of pics and ads objectify women. Whether they feel it’s a cutesy spoof, or like those Carl’s Jr. commercials where they’re shameless about it.
I guess it’s up to us consumers whether we support these companies that do it. Do we continue buying their products if we don’t agree with the message they’re sending? It’s an argument I’m afraid will just go on with time…
Thank you! And you are right. If you do not like what a company is selling don’t buy it. It isn’t necessary to call people names. 🙂
Very good post! I don’t really care if a blogger post sponsored post or personal post. Reader are smart enough to know the difference. What I found so crazy about this whole situation is that one bitter person would go out of their way to say mean and hurtful things about fellow bloggers and a PR person. With absolutely no thought to their feelings. To say bloggers are on their knees bowing down to the big companies is disrespectful. Not just to bloggers but to all women. I read the original post by this person and the thought that kept going through my head was “what did this person do to you?”. It was just plain mean and cyber bullying. I hope in the end it doesn’t cost Marshall his job and the other bloggers to loose out on work. It makes me sad that people who are adults still act like school yard bullies.
You are right. I am really not sure who the argument was supposed to argue for, you know. It seems like it circled in on itself and imploded.
This whole thing reminds me of something Howard Stern might have done back in the day, just to try to get a rise out of someone.
I don’t see what the big deal over this is. It was a joke. People need to lighten up! Marshall is a nice guy, too, I’m sure he’s taken a lot of heat over this blown-out-of-proportion image.
For real. Way to make a mountain out of a molehill. Someone else {though I can’t recall now who} said this, and I agree…this was a matter that is simply of difference of opinion. It should have been settled privately.
I’m reading this and chuckled a lil bit. Folks really need to calm down smh
Lol! For real! Sometimes people get their panties in a wad over nothing. 😉
I agree, boycott any products from companies that behave in ways that insult you
Definitely.
While I don’t have a problem against Disney, obviously the writer of the article I responded to does. I think that that not purchasing products of a company that has business practices you don’t agree with would send a far stronger and more mature message than name-calling and assumptions about all parties involved.
I am definitely NOT getting the sexist vibe from Marshall Weinbaum. I also don’t get the golddigging vibe from the bloggers involved. It seems obvious to me that they just like weird humor. Like me. 🙂
Boycot!
I am friends with Marshall and see absolutely nothing wrong with what he did, I feel like they are going after the man for just that, being a man…there are grown women in that picture to and they had fun doing that picture with him for his mom. This blogger who started this took a picture off his personal wall and added her own words using paint (or another editor) just to start a problem…maybe out of jealousy, maybe out of the need to have her 15 minutes of fame (shame)? #KeepCalm&SupportMarshall
I agree. I am not sure what the big deal was, nor do I think the argument is even a good one.
Very well said Dawn!! Her argument is not an argument at all. She comes across as a jealous attention seeker. If you don’t like what you see on someone’s *personal facebook page* don’t look or unfriend them. She is inserting herself into a picture that is essentially none of her business. So basically, what you said cause you stated the facts so well!!
Thank you. If you can’t say anything nice…
Thank you. It’s nice to see that someone is paying attention to the silliness that is written by some bloggers. The comments were at best goofy (no pun intended) and more often than not immature. And the name calling was definitely unprofessional. I read your blog because you post honest opinions. Keep up the good work.
Thank you very much. 🙂 I think that often times people just don’t always think about what they want to say before they say it.
I think that everyone should stick to a code of ethics of saying only positive things. If you can’t blog about positive things then don’t say anything and move on. That blogger needs to realize that she has to be responsible about what she says.
For real! People need to walk the talk.
Great post. I was also especially bothered by the name calling, especially since she didn’t seem to have any real reason for saying it.