Multiple Layers of Editorial Fact-Checking

As you probably heard on cable news, Lane Bryant tried to run a sexy ad featuring plus-sized models during the family hour (8-9 pm), and ABC and Fox balked. Bryant claims sizist discrimination, because their ads, they say, are just like Victoria's Secret ads, which have been run at that hour.

But then, the knockers are twice as big, so I guess there's a little too much vavavoom going on.

(Incidentally, that tracks with something I've noticed: Big breasts are associated with porn in people's minds. Yeah, I know that's obvious, but there is some kind of societal/literary double standard about demure breasts being arty and big breasts being lurid and pornographic. Every time I read a sex scene in a "good book," the author makes sure to tell me the woman's breasts are small, just to remind me I'm reading Art, not Porn. D-cups don't exist in high-minded literature, I guess.)

But I don't care about that debate... O'Reilly's going to be getting to the bottom of this story, with lots of video, all the way through sweeps, because it's just that important. He's going to feature big-knockers-pictures at the end of every broadcast, asking the important question of each rack, "Pinheads or Patriots?"

For the folks. For the folks, people. Just lookin' out for the folks.

I'm too high-minded for that, of course, so instead I'll pick on the very-professional news organization CNN.

Someone altered the ad so that the text message the zaftig woman read was not a come-hither sext, but instead a funny advertisement. (I won't give away the joke so you can appreciate it when you see it.)

Headline News -- which is CNN, of course -- intended to run the real ad in discussing the non-story/publicity stunt, but instead ran the joke ad, by accident, because they're just that detail-oriented.

So, on CNN at least, Lane Bryant's ad is designed to insult buxom women rather than flatter them.

The alteration occurs at 0:38.

Thanks to MattM.

posted by Ace at 05:21 PM

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