Ad Nauseam
RSSSchool librarians complain about a salacious ad in Seventeen magazine
Staff -- School Library Journal, 03/01/2001
Ed Nizalowski, the school media specialist at the Newark Valley (NY) High School, routinely thumbs though his school library's magazines, on the lookout for content that he considers inappropriate for adolescent eyes. When the 54-year-old librarian comes across a salacious image, he simply removes the offending page from the publication. This month, what got Nizalowski's undivided attention was an ad for Candie's fragrances for men and women that appeared in the March issue of Seventeen. The full-page color ad shows a bare-chested young man with a towel tied securely around his waist, gazing into a medicine-cabinet mirror. Displayed beside the bathroom sink is an assortment of Candie's fragrances. No problem there. But what Nizalowski and, in this case, many other librarians object to is the presence of a young blue-eyed woman who happens to be sitting on the sink, her legs wrapped suggestively around her male playmate.
This time, Nizalowski decided that enough was enough. He sent a message to members of LM_NET, an online discussion group for school librarians, asking media specialists to sign a complaint that would then be forwarded to Seventeen magazine. Within a few days, says Nizalowski, approximately 45 librarians signed the complaint, which, in part, reads: "At a time when adolescents should be given positive images regarding their sexuality and their bodies, this kind of advertising cheapens and degrades the relationships that should be developing between individuals in this age group.... To [Seventeen's] credit, you have consistently included many articles that provide quality information on issues of importance... that show young women breaking barriers and performing work that benefits both themselves and the community.... We hope that you will show greater discretion in the future."
When Seventeen was informed of Nizalowski's intentions, the teen magazine responded the same day with a written statement: "Seventeen has the highest regard and respect for our readers and the Candie's image in the March 2001 issue will not be appearing again in the magazine."--Rick Margolis
