I have come across another great culture jamming website called http://jamming.wordpress.com. They call themselves the “jammin’ ladies” and have a slogan that reads “A fight to take back public space!”
They have several tabs on the website including; what is culture jamming, how to jam, advertisements we’ve jammed, and much more. There is also a ‘links’ section that directs you to many other relevant websites.
They seem to be a very encouraging group that wants to educate people. They try to get people to participate in culture jamming and make sure everyone’s individual voice is herd. On their “home” page they emphasize that without society fighting back, it’s a one-way flow of information. This one-way flow allows corporations to use ridiculous advertisements and influence our naïve society.
One section on their website is “advertisements we’ve jammed” and one picture caught my attention because another blogger had touched on similar area (tampon commercials). These jammin’ ladies mention they are fed up with the way feminine hygiene products are advertised with that blue liquid instead of something red that looks like blood. These commercials make women feel like they need to hide the fact that they bleed. Something more ‘real looking’ (red) isn’t an option in advertising because women should be embarrassed of their “natural bodily functions”. This is rather ridiculous and we should not be ashamed of our bodies and what they do. http://jamming.wordpress.com/advertisments-we-jammed/)
This website also includes a page dedicated to “Naomi Klein” who is an activist through articles, books, films, and more. The website directs you to read more about her from this website: http://www.commondreams.org/views/092300-103.htm.
Here it talks about how when she was young, she was a total sucker for brand names. Now that she’s older she recognizes the problem with being brand obsessed and admits those corporations got the best of her. She believes we can’t get “free” from this world of advertising. Naomi Klein has a really good view on current advertising so I will copy it here: “…advertising today is not merely about selling products; it is about selling a brand, a dream, a message. So Nike's aim is not to sell trainers but to "enhance people's lives through sports and fitness". IBM doesn't sell computers, it sells "solutions". And as for Polaroid, well, it's not a camera - it's a "social lubricant". You sell the message of your brand, not your product, and you can expand as widely as you like. As Richard Branson says, you "build brands not around products but around reputation" - and leap from record shops to cola to banking to trains.“ She goes on to talk about poor working conditions in so many factories and how society chooses to support them through purchasing their products. The fight back includes educating people. Once educated in the area, society may make wiser decisions and support the little local companies. Klein has published a book called “NO LOGO” where she dedicates a whole chapter to culture jamming and its importance to society. A quote from her regarding her book is “"It is a return to the roots of feminism - early feminism was very involved in anti-sweatshop action, and the current anti-sweatshop movement very much sees it as a feminist issue, since it is overwhelmingly women of color who are being abused by the systems. I feel that we lost our way in the late 80s, when feminism became disengaged from its roots, which originally had critiques of capitalism and of consumerism. I am a feminist and this is a feminist book." This shows that she believes culture jamming is directly related to women’s studies. We need to use culture jamming along side the feminist activism to get the message out to society.
Lastly this website states, “Her thesis is about trying to find some space that hasn't been bought up by anyone; trying to rediscover our identities as citizens, and not just consumers. It is about globalization, and the power corporations have over our lives.” (http://www.commondreams.org/views/092300-103.htm) Overall she is a powerful activist using culture jamming as a tool to get her message out to this world.
Another interesting spot on the Jammin’ Ladies website is the axe versus dove campaigns. There is some interesting controversy about the two but after reading the comments I’m not sure what to believe. Overall, they are saying dove and axe are both owned by the same company. Doves campaign for real beauty and axe’s boot camp advertisements are very different messages. But how can one company send out such opposite messages. That proves the company doesn’t really care about ‘real beauty’, they just care about what sells their products and gets them the money.
The Jammin’ Ladies have comment boxes all around their site encouraging people to share with others how they feel about culture jamming and have a place to start their own activism. This website provides readers with lots of information on their point of view and options to get involved in the fight.
-Goldilocks
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