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Fighting for a Positive Cultural Environment: An Interview with Jean Kilbourne
- Advertising & Society Quarterly
- Advertising Educational Foundation
- Volume 19, Issue 4, 2018
- 10.1353/asr.2018.0035
- Article
- Additional Information
Abstract:
In this interview, Dr. Jean Kilbourne reflects on her 40-year career and how she has become one of the most prominent activists, speakers, and writers about advertising's place in society. In addition to telling the story of her career going back to the late 1960s, Kilbourne provides insights on many important topics: advertising's place in society, how advertising has objectified women with negative consequences, consumer agency, media literacy, the regulation of advertising, feminism, and what makes good advertising. She also tells the story of how her personal papers have come to be held at Duke University's John W.Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising, and Marketing History. She concludes by offering advice to students, professors, and advertisers. Throughout the interview, Kilbourne calls for more media literacy and an advertising industry focused on empathy, equality, and values beyond consumerism.