Jean Kilbourne, EdD
A nationally recognized expert on addictions, gender issues, and the media, Dr. Jean Kilbourne specializes in alcohol and tobacco advertising and the image of women in advertising. Well known for her award-winning documentaries Killing Us Softly: Advertising's Image of Women" and "Slim Hopes: Advertising and the Obsession with Thinness," Dr. Kilbourne is the author of Can
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A nationally recognized expert on addictions, gender issues, and the media, Dr. Jean Kilbourne served as an advisor to former Surgeons General C. Everett Koop and Antonia Novello and has testified for the U.S. Congress. In 1993 she was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services to the prestigious National Advisory Council on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Through her lectures, films, and articles, many of her original ideas and concepts have become widely known and used. These include the concepts of the tyranny of the beauty ideal, the obsession with thinness, the link between objectification and violence, the dismemberment of women's bodies, the connection of the sexualization of children with fear of powerful women, the twin themes of liberation and weight control exploited in tobacco advertising, the targeting of alcoholics by the alcohol industry, addiction as a love affair, censorship of the media on behalf of advertisers, and many others.
Dr. Kilbourne has made several award-winning documentary films and videos based on her lectures. They are used widely throughout the world, in a variety of college and high school courses and by health groups, church groups, community groups, corporations, and other groups. Her first film, "Killing Us Softly: Advertising's Image of Women" (and the remakes "Still Killing Us Softly" and "Killing Us Softly III") are among the most popular educational films of all time. Her other videos include "Slim Hopes: Advertising and the Obsession with Thinness" and "Pack of Lies: The Advertising of Tobacco."
Dr. Kilbourne's latest publication is her book Can't Buy My Love: How Advertising Changes the Way We Think and Feel. In addition, she has written many articles, including editorials in The New York Times, USA Today and The Journal of the American Medical Women's Association. She has contributed chapters to many books, including "Feminist Perspectives on Eating Disorders;" "Adolescent Medicine: State of the Art Reviews;" and "TV and Teens: Experts Look at the Issues." Her articles are frequently reprinted in textbooks, such as "The University in Your Life;" "Impact of Mass Media;" and "Gender, Race, and Class in Media."
Reporters from all over the country rely on Dr. Kilbourne as an accurate and interesting source. She has been interviewed by Time, Newsweek, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Christian Science Monitor, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Washington Post, The Globe and Mail, and The Boston Globe, among many other publications. She has been a guest on hundreds of television and radio programs, including "The Tom Snyder Show," "All Things Considered," "Today," "20/20," "Oprah," and "PrimeTime Live."
Kilbourne's academic credentials include a B.A. in English from Wellesley College and a doctorate in education from Boston University. Upon her graduation, she received an award from Wellesley that enabled her to spend three years in Europe, working for the British Broadcasting Corporation in London and for a French film company in Paris. She has been a Visiting Scholar at Wellesley College since 1984. She serves on many national boards of directors and advisory councils, including those of the Junior League, the Women's Action Alliance, the Media Education Foundation, and the Marin Institute for the Prevention of Alcohol and Other Drug Problems.
She has received several awards, including a special recognition award from the Academy for Eating Disorders, a Leadership in Action Award from the Women's Action Alliance and a Woman of the Year Award from the National Organization for Women. In 1995 she received the WIN (Women s Image Now) Award from the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA). She is listed in The World's Who's Who of Women, Who's Who in American Education, and 2000 Notable American Women, among other publications.
Dr. Kilbourne has been what The Boston Globe described as "a superstar lecturer" for many years. She has twice received the "Lecturer of the Year" award from the National Association for Campus Activities. She has lectured at over one-third of all the colleges and universities in the United States and all of the major universities in Canada, as well as scores of private and public schools. She is also sought after as a keynote speaker at a wide range of conferences, including those focusing on addictions and public health, violence, women, and the media. She is known for her wit and warmth and her ability to present provocative topics in a way that unites rather than divides, that encourages dialogue, and that moves and empowers people to take action in their own and in society's interest.
