Nice Car!

Lars Noren

My dad had a 1964 Mustang and I have pictures working with him under the car at two years old; I was still in diapers; my mom would come to the garage, see me, and freak out. This began my fascination, borderline obsession with engines. I even liked mowing the lawn because it had an engine. At eight years old I began consuming car magazines, mainly Hot Rod Magazine, Diesel Power, among others. I always looked past the scantily clad girls posing in the images because the cars were far more interesting to me. No really, I’m serious. Now a teen it is harder to look past the women at the cars. I do get distracted. I want to look at them now, not in a sexual, but a critical, analytical way to discover what the images reveal about men, women, the relationship between them.

In the essay "Two Ways Women Can Get Hurt: Advertising and Violence" Jean Kilbourne writes, “Most of us like to think of ourselves as immune to the power of ads, we know that advertisers use sex to get our attention and they make exaggerated claims...The way ads portray bodies- especially women’s bodies- as objects conditions us to see each other in dehumanizing ways, thus normalizing attitudes that can lead to sexual aggression.” This quote clearly states the truth, but some of us might not agree that this kind of advertising of women will lead to sexual aggression. I believe it all depends on how a person is reading and analyzing the ad, based on their own mindset, placing a powerful muscle car by a beautiful young women seems to be inviting the viewer to be aggressive with cars and women.

In the April 2011 issue of Muscle Mustangs and Fast Fords, there is an article about a 2007 Mustang GT “assembled in less than five hours at the Orange County International Auto Show.” In the main picture, the Mustang’s Lambo doors are being caressed by a woman dressed in sun glasses, stiletto heals, a checkered flap print bikini top, and skirts so short it doesn’t cover her under garments. This images communicates to the viewer that women are object to be competed for and won like trophies.

This image also says that women should not be known sexually but, should rather be known personally. Her bikini, high heels, and the way her body is laid back on the car makes her look vulnerable and sexually available. Her sunglasses hide her eyes making her more anonymous and confident when doing this pose The model’s posture tells men that women are and should be submissive, especially in sexual matters. By looking at her, she emphasize “come get me and take me away in your fast car”. Her heels give her height and give the feeling of tall and sexy. The checkered flag paint bikini shows that you have won her or you can win her and her hot body. This gives the wrong message today to younger women that don’t pursue an education and try to make a quick buck. It seems today that some women don’t have confidence in themselves and may end up hurting themselves by trying to become unnaturally thin or they will end up getting plastic surgery because they are not happy with how they look. This sort of relationship doesn’t just hurt the women but men around them too.

Women aren’t cars, they aren't machines. I know both and they aren’t the same and shouldn’t be treated as such.