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The Weekly Geek: The Gendered Advertising Remixer

We often talk about “remix culture” here at The Weekly Geek — the art of the mash up, the allure of fan art and fan culture, the fascination we have with a culture that likes to remix and re-use existing media to tell new stories. Well, here’s a prime example of someone using mash ups for the power of good: behold, the Gendered Advertising Remixer.

Created by Jonathan McIntosh, it’s a simple web app that lets you mash up toy commercials aimed at boys with ads aimed at girls. According to Wired, it’s a hilarious, educational experience.

From the post:

“I think a remix video can be a simple and humorous way to expose the completely absurd levels of gender stereotyping found in many television commercials,” said Jonathan McIntosh, the 32-year-old San Francisco “pop culture hacker” who created the app. The results are intended to help people break down “regressive embedded gender messages” in the advertising.

Also linked in the piece is the wonderful Riley, the viral video of a little girl showing a firm grasp of the world of marketing, exasperated by the divisions between “girls” and “boys” toys.

When I was a little girl, I played almost exclusively with “boys” toys, and I caught no end of flack for it. Ninja Turtles, Legos (and not the “pink” kind!), Nintendo games, Micro Machines, those were my playthings of choice. There’s nothing wrong with pink things (I even like pink things), but the degree to which children are being advertised to with nasty gendered messages is sickening.

This app makes fun of the whole business — which is fantastic, and a better way to get people to sit up and take notice. Score one for the power of geekery to tell the bitter truths and making everyone laugh in the process.

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