I was recently told when recording a voice over for a TV ad for a financial company, that it was lucky to have gotten this job. To be honest I always feel lucky when someone pays me to read words into a microphone. Voice Over work is brilliant. I stand in a small padded room whilst ad execs listen to my dulcet tines through their black clothes and tell me to smile more, be more friendly or, in the case of chocolate commercials, imagine you're lady parts are being pleasured quite emphatically.
Sorry where was I?
Oh yes, voice overs so I already knew I was lucky to be at this voice recording but when I was told why, I was less impressed.
You see when this enlightened marketing executive had told her Australian counterparts they were using a woman to sell their products those Fair Dinkum Dunderdoofers (scientific name) had exclaimed in an aghast fashion; "Oh but you can't use a female voice-over, people don't trust women."
Let's repeat that for fun; "People don't trust women."
Gee, the last time I looked 50% of "people" were women. Unless they were adopting that Canadian stance from pre-1928 that deemed women were not people and actually had to be changed by law. (Oh and while we're on the subject women in Quebec only got the vote in 1940, Switzerland in 1971 and Lichenstein in freaking 1984!)
SO in essence this man (and yes it was a man) was saying that we all distrust half of the world. Gee and just when I think we have come a long way along comes someone to make me go all Emily Pankhurst again. I guess that's why they didn't want us to vote all those years ago, in case we couldn't be trusted not to all vote for the McGillicutty Serious Party, or even worse ACT.
I wonder if this guy ever ran to his mummy when he scraped her knee? Or maybe he screamed when she approached, assuming her concerned expression was mocking laughter and the savlon she was waving was arsenic death paste. I wonder if he lets his girlfriend have her own eftpos card in case she causes another global recession. (Though that is highly unlikely, the last time I looked most of the "people" who fucked up the economy were men. It is also unlikely he has a girlfriend too I expect.)
Thankfully the Kiwi Marketing exec was more influenced by NZ's history of suffRAGE and went with me. Women here got the vote in 1893 in NZ and so I can do financial voicevers.
Though it's hardly all equality roses and no-sexist sunshine here. In the latest "Most trusted Poll" of NZers, there were only 4 women in the top 20. Still in the bottom ten there was only one woman too, depressingly suggesting that many people just don't bother to think about half the population at all.
Well hopefully when they turn on the tele and hear me, they'll appreciate a nice lady voice even if just for 30 seconds, and we can start to chip away at all those gender bullshit stereotypes.
So there.
Sorry where was I?
Oh yes, voice overs so I already knew I was lucky to be at this voice recording but when I was told why, I was less impressed.
You see when this enlightened marketing executive had told her Australian counterparts they were using a woman to sell their products those Fair Dinkum Dunderdoofers (scientific name) had exclaimed in an aghast fashion; "Oh but you can't use a female voice-over, people don't trust women."
Let's repeat that for fun; "People don't trust women."
Gee, the last time I looked 50% of "people" were women. Unless they were adopting that Canadian stance from pre-1928 that deemed women were not people and actually had to be changed by law. (Oh and while we're on the subject women in Quebec only got the vote in 1940, Switzerland in 1971 and Lichenstein in freaking 1984!)
SO in essence this man (and yes it was a man) was saying that we all distrust half of the world. Gee and just when I think we have come a long way along comes someone to make me go all Emily Pankhurst again. I guess that's why they didn't want us to vote all those years ago, in case we couldn't be trusted not to all vote for the McGillicutty Serious Party, or even worse ACT.
I wonder if this guy ever ran to his mummy when he scraped her knee? Or maybe he screamed when she approached, assuming her concerned expression was mocking laughter and the savlon she was waving was arsenic death paste. I wonder if he lets his girlfriend have her own eftpos card in case she causes another global recession. (Though that is highly unlikely, the last time I looked most of the "people" who fucked up the economy were men. It is also unlikely he has a girlfriend too I expect.)
Thankfully the Kiwi Marketing exec was more influenced by NZ's history of suffRAGE and went with me. Women here got the vote in 1893 in NZ and so I can do financial voicevers.
Though it's hardly all equality roses and no-sexist sunshine here. In the latest "Most trusted Poll" of NZers, there were only 4 women in the top 20. Still in the bottom ten there was only one woman too, depressingly suggesting that many people just don't bother to think about half the population at all.
Well hopefully when they turn on the tele and hear me, they'll appreciate a nice lady voice even if just for 30 seconds, and we can start to chip away at all those gender bullshit stereotypes.
So there.
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