26 -- great post, I always enjoy your input as well as that of SR, Snow, Sharnina and the many other wise women on this board. Although you say you were kidding about a project (and I believe it would be a GREAT one!) -- I'd love to find a way to continue to "e-talk" with the women here, even if we can't exactly go "into production".

I agree that SO found an audience without any particular advertising, which surprised me as well. I'm a work at home baby boomer and it comes on at noon in NY so I landed on it during lunch. The first season hooked me, and as the other seasons started to deteriorate I actually used to use my lunch hour on this board with SO in the BACKGROUND! LOL!

I'm in the advertising field and have become increasingly frustrated with my industry's contention that "you are getting the images/media you ask / pay for." The implication being that we are all looking for Brangelina photos and Paris Hilton sex tapes because if we didn't buy it, they wouldn't produce it. I beg to differ. To my mind, if that's literally ALL that's offered -- yes, some will buy it and the rest of us will feel alienated and filled with disgust.

I was part of the Creative Team that developed the "Dove Campaign for Real Beauty". Remember those gorgeous real-sized, real-life women? I can't begin to tell you the resistance, the fights, the drama, the people that were fired, the focus groups and the nightmare it was to get that campaign running. Screaming meetings were 20-something year old MALE account managers practically gave themselves aneurisms shouting: ASPIRATIONAL! ASPIRATIONAL! women don't want to see themselves as they really are! ad nauseum.

Eventually a creative, baby boomer woman Brand Manager worked hard to make it happen. She put herself on the line and I think the results were spectacular. (AND the Sales figures were as well). However, the campaign took alot of flack in the media, with one woman (ouch!) on the Today Show actually implying that it encouraged young women to be fat.

AAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHH! None of those women were obese to a degree that would cause a health problem, we were careful about that. (Not that there is anything wrong with obesity either, it's not easy to stay fit in our super rushed, super stressed world and our human genetics are changing to be larger sized. Ever see shoes and clothes from the 1800s?)

Anyhoooooo -- Thank Godess the sales supported the work, and I hope that we can continue to move ourselves, and our sisters in that direction. We've really got to stop buying the crap, watching the crap and confirming the idea that "we're just selling you the garbage you want."

Rant a little why don't I?! These are the kinds of topics I would love to see this board's community continue and I think they exemplify why SO Season 1 and SO in general DID speak to a strong demographic.

Again, thanks to SR, Snow, Labyrinth, 26 and the countless other women here who made my lunch hour.