Moms Hope to Make 'Housewives' Desperate for Sponsors

By Jody Brown and AFA Journal
July 27, 2005

(AgapePress) - Emmy Awards or not, an online activism group that includes thousands of moms and housewives finds no redeeming value in Desperate Housewives, the prime-time series that chronicles the "sex-ploits" of a group of suburban women.

The second season of ABC's sex-laden Desperate Housewives is slated to begin in late September -- and Associated Press says the network hopes to "clean up" with another dry cleaning campaign for the prime-time drama. According to the report, last year's campaign featured plastic clothes covers emblazoned with "Desperate Housewives." But this time around, notes AP, the plastic will display the message: "New season. New dirty laundry."

Some may find it amusing that the popular series -- which earlier this month received 15 Emmy nominations -- is playing upon its own sex-based plot line in an advertising campaign. But one pro-family activist group finds little humor in a prime-time television program that promotes such societal ills as adultery and sexual promiscuity. OneMillionMoms.com (OMM) -- an online activism group affiliated with the American Family Association (AFA) -- seeks to exert its pro-family influence by encouraging advertisers not to sponsor such programming.

For example, after being contacted by OMM supporters, Mary Kay, one of the largest sellers of beauty care and cosmetic products, pulled its sponsorship of Desperate Housewives. Mary Kay spokesperson Shannon Summers contacted AFA director of special projects Randy Sharp, who spearheads OMM, and said: "We are going to revise our media mix that we are working on, and we will not have Desperate Housewives in that mix."

Don Wildmon, AFA founder and chairman, has described the ABC drama as "a television show that promotes prostitution, adult-teen sexual relations, infidelity, deception, seduction, adultery, promiscuity [and] sadomasochism." Wildmon applauded Mary Kay's decision.

"Mary Kay's philosophy -- 'God first, family second, and career third' -- is what has drawn countless women to the company in the first place," he said. "We are happy to see Mary Kay disassociate itself from such a wretched show."

According to AP, producers of the one-hour TV soap opera asked to be considered in the comedy series category for Emmy Awards, usually home to half-hour sitcoms.

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