To me, this ad is just like another dumb ass beer commercial, where some scantilly-clad women hears dude crack open a bottle of Coors light water and then pretends like he has made a good decision, and is now attracted to him, without presenting any relevant information about the product.  I obviously believe in not eating animals, but we are treading higher ground here people, we need to avoid all types of bigotry.  Like it or not, PETA primarily uses women to sell their message, just like Big Beer.

This is an interesting thread. I'm actually not a terribly big fan of PETA. Though their literature may be commendable, and I think they have some redeeming qualities about their approach, their militaristic campaigns are thoroughly counterproductive to the animal rights movement (making disgruntled enemies is a dead end/making enlightened allies produces more and more allies). I won't go into that here (though I have a lot to say about it), that could be a whole other thread. But what I DO have to say is...

Strangely for me, I don't find this ad offensive or sexist in any way. I think it's GREAT that they are showing off the totally HEALTHY body of a beautiful vegetarian...curves and all. Alicia is no skinny waif. YAY for curvaceous women who eat their veggies! And she talks about how much energy she has...and how great she feels...and she LOOKS like she feels great. She doesn't look like she's starving, and that's something refreshing in terms of advertisements these days. I dig her. If PETA showed off some skeletal sixteen year old swimming around half naked with her ribs busting through her skin, then I would object.

Christian Bale eating a tofu sandwich wearing just his skivvies? I could go for that. Too. ;)

I also agree the ad was exploitive, or at the very least short sighted.  I know that overt sexuality- particularly with “perfect” air brushed women- is a common ad tactic, but it’s no secret the constant repetition of this tactic has produced noticeable and devastating effects on young girls and women.  Corporations trying to sell product—I don’t expect they would really care about that sort of thing, but as an organization dedicated to exposing and fighting suffering and unnecessary cruelty, I guess I’m  just really disappointed PETA continues to go in this direction.

Although it might produce some converts (temporary or otherwise), I shudder to think of why those people would be converting.  I like the thought of more veggies in the world, but not at the cost of more people starving themselves or struggling with this distorted sense of inadequacy.  PETA should really be more responsible with the message they send. 

Sex/art/expression and commercialism are very different things.
As I said, I love the naked human body. i enjoy it in art, in movies, in my house ;)
I have posed nude for art. I have photographed and sketched others' naked bodies.
I have /nothing/ against nudity or sexual expression. I did not get that impression from other posts that see something wrong with this ad, either.

The difference between art/expression of sensuality and commodifying a human body for unrelated commercial gain is pretty obvious. (As I previously stated, if this were an ad for something sex-related, that would be completely different.) If you think both are totally fine, that is one thing, but you cannot lump them together and make them the same thing.

As for Alicia Stones and others consenting to this ad, that makes absolutely no difference. (Well, that's not true. Of course it would be worse if they were forced into it, but that is completely beside the point.) I didn't say it was exploiting A.S., I said it was exploiting & objectifying females by, once again, using their bodies to sell something. This particular ad was not, at all, the worst that has come out of PETA. It, however, is one that uses celebrity & the feminine form to attract attention, without informing anyone of the issues. It focuses on sex and image... not animal rights.
I know nothing about A.S. If she is as intelligent as she is attractive, then I hope their next ad, that features her, will have her speaking intelligently about her decision to abstain from supproting the abuse and murder of animals... showing that veg*nism is (for many) more than a sexy fad or way to attain a beautiful body.

I commend PETA for their exposé on factory farming and their educational literature. I commend them for trying to get the message out there. They do some good things, but that does earn them my unquestioning support. I see major flaws in some of their methods.

But, I'm really not much of a femminist.

You do not believe males and females should be treated equal?
I realize that negative connontations have been attached over the years, but that is all feminism is and ever was.

i think that v and some of the others are talking about isn't that AS herself is being oppressed-- it is quite obvious she is a major supporter of PETA and that's great. we're talking more in terms of a macro level gender oppression issue. using some of the logic being promoted here re: AS in the ad, i can argue that pornography isn't oppressive-- hell, some of those women get paid big bucks! the problem is that, because of the differences in how/why we value the sexes (women are valued for their bodies, etc), when we continue the "trend" so to say of using images of women's bodies in sexually explicit ways (again, i'm moving beyond just the AS ad and to some of the other stuff). the link i posted earlier talks about the peta:playboy connection.

and i really don't think it matters if it is a 16 y/o with an ED or AS in the ads (well, in terms of promoting further a culture of EDs, yes, it does) but in terms of gender....argh. no wonder i get horrible student evals. i make no sense.

totally, baypuppy.  i would love to take your class!

You do not believe males and females should be treated equal?
I realize that negative connontations have been attached over the years, but that is all feminism is and ever was.

It depends on what you mean by equal. If it means the draft is also going to apply to me, then I'll pass on that.

On the other hand, if all it means is that I get a chance to compete for any job I want, that I get to become whomever I want, that I get paid based on my work and not my gender - then, yes, I'm all for equality.

I suppose it's more accurate to say that I'm not a femminist by today's standards. I don't agree with quite a few of their premises, i.e. women can "have it all" (no one can), the draft applying to me, being able to join the army at different standards than men, getting special treatment at work because I am a woman - same pay as every other worker, even though I'm on maternity leave, companies hiring me instead of the man because they already have a large male staff and are afraid of discrimination lawsuits, etc.

But, back to the topic - I didn't even think about the exploitation from that angle - global and what it says to young women. I guess, I've never paid much attention to what models and actors look like or how I compare, because I know, in real life, they look much like everyone else (except, maybe for some, skinnier). Partly, I think the responsibility for this lies in the parents. What values do the parents teach their own children? To what kind of things do they expose them? Obviously, no one can avoid all media ... but, I think, I owe my healthy outlook on the world, on myself, precisely because of the values and ideas to which my parents exposed me.

Capture, nice pic! I've liked Casey since Ocean's 11 and actually think he's hotter than Ben.

I don't have anything to add to the exploitation/feminism/PETA tactics discussion, so I'll just be shallow and add another hot dude photo. ;)

http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:jX57M-BjPr8rkM:http://www.thecinemasource.com/moviesdb/images/David_Duchovny%2520-%252001%2520-%2520Trust_The_Man.jpg

"The truth is out there ... vegans are sexy!"

ETA it seems a lot of us want to see Mr. Phoenix in one of these ads. Maybe we should all write a collective letter to PETA.