Hamburger chain Carl’s Jr. is making no apologies for its new Spicy Burger television commercial, which features Hilton hotel heiress and reality TV star Paris Hilton in a skin-tight swimsuit soaping up a Bentley and crawling all over it before taking a big bite out of the burger.
NewMexiKen saw the ad over the weekend and, truth told, found it over some sort of good taste line. (I know it when I see it.) But you gotta love Carl’s response to the Parents Television Council:
“Get a life.” “This isn’t Janet Jackson — there is no nipple in this,” said Andy Puzder, the CEO of Carl’s Jr., a subsidiary of CKE Restaurants. “There is no nudity, there is no sex acts — It’s a beautiful model in a swimsuit washing a car.”
I like what Tony Kornheiser said. “I don’t know about hamburgers, but I’m in the market for some sponges…”
It turns out on the Carl’s Junior website there is a 60-second version (as opposed to the 30-second version aired on TV). Twice the spice.
http://www.spicyparis.com/paris.html
Upon reflection I believe the comercial they have been airing about a fetus complaining to his mother about the spicy food is more objectionable than Paris in sudsy water. The Paris ad is a bit over the top for broadcast TV, although it doesn’t bother me personally. But it’s almost as racy as The Fox Network.
I have often wondered about The obvious ads aimed at young African-American men aired by Mickey D’s.
Surely somewhere there is someone worked up over a commercial in which a young man is about to serve his party guests a huge platter of quarter pounders as hor’douvres. Especially the part where he urges his buddy to “pound one.”
How do you get to be the CEO of such a large corporation and not have a basic command of grammar?
…said Andy Puzder, the CEO of Carl’s Jr., a subsidiary of CKE Restaurants. “There is no nudity, there is no sex acts — ….”
“is no _ acts”?
I guess that’s what too much exposure to T&A will do to a guy’s brain.
My biggest concern is who was stupid enough to let anyone crawl all over a Bentley with spike heels? Horrifying.
Love how this guy Andy – in typical male idiot fashion – equate a quick shot of a woman’s nipple as somehow erotically more charged and pornographic than 60 seconds of a woman in high heels and revealing swimsuit obviously acting out in none-too-subtle sexual fashion. Does it take a rocket scientist to see how moronic his logic is?
My guess is CEO Andy doesn’t have daughters. Doesn’t have a daughter, like us, who for years has suffered bulimia in the mistaken belief that what society deems beautiful – and what society rewards for the kinds of things Paris Hilton is doing – is somehow unattainable to her. Doesn’t have daughters who are ridiculed for “not being pretty enough”, “not being thin enough”, “not being sexy enough”.
Forget the Parent’s Television Council for a moment. There is something more important going on here. CEO Andy needs to have an “aha” moment regarding his role in perpetuating sexual stereotypes and continuing a damaging trend of marketing women as sex objects and nothing more. He has *no idea* of the damage and fallout of being a participant in this kind of marketing. And for what? To sell a few more hamburgers? Is that the thing that lets him sleep better at night?
Makes me ashamed of our culture when he admonishes us to “get a life” when we speak out against what we continue to do to women…