Pioneering Activist, Speaker & Writer
Jean Kilbourne is internationally recognized for her groundbreaking work on the image of women in advertising and for her critical studies of alcohol and tobacco advertising. In the late 1960s she began her exploration of the connection between advertising and several public health issues, including violence against women, eating disorders, and addiction, and launched a movement to promote media literacy as a way to prevent these problems. A radical and original idea at the time, this approach is now mainstream and an integral part of most prevention programs.
Read More“I have found incredible insight and wisdom in the work of Jean Kilbourne. She has changed the way I see the world and myself.”
“Jean Kilbourne’s work is pioneering and crucial to the dialogue of one of the most underexplored, yet most powerful, realms of American culture – advertising. We owe her a great debt.”
“The importance of your research has not been lost on the Harvard Business School students as was evidenced by the remarkable turnout…The entire presentation will stand out as a highlight of our education here.”
“I have enjoyed seeing and hearing Jean Kilbourne wrestle with the issues that beset us all. Her intelligent probing and the deductions she has made are of use to all her listeners and readers.”
“Jean Kilbourne inspired my ‘click’ moment when she came to my campus to give a talk. I always say that if feminism were vampirism, Jean would be my Lestat.”
“After listening to Jean Kilbourne, I would never doubt her intellectual honesty. While she bills herself as a critic of advertising, she is more akin to a prophet calling out in the wilderness for fundamental change in the way we communicate publicly with one another.”
“No one in the world has done more to improve the image of women in advertising than Jean Kilbourne.”
“Jean Kilbourne’s work is profoundly important. She’s one of those people who makes a difference in how we see the world.”