In this episode of The Hanley Effect, pioneering activist, speaker, and author Dr. Jean Kilbourne joins hosts Dr. John Dyben and Dr. Rachel Docekal to unpack how advertising and media shape our beliefs, behaviors, and public health, especially around addiction, gender, and youth.
Jean Kilbourne, Ed.D. is a National Women’s Hall of Fame inductee and one of the world’s most influential voices on advertising’s impact on public health. Her films and lectures have reached millions, and her research helped mainstream media literacy as a core prevention strategy.
Kilbourne, creator of the landmark film series Killing Us Softly: Advertising’s Image of Women and author of Can’t Buy My Love, explains why simply showing “scared‑straight” health images rarely works, and how media literacy can. Drawing on decades of research (and her own story of getting sober in 1976), she shows how alcohol and tobacco marketers have long targeted kids and women, erased negative consequences, and even positioned products as stand‑ins for community, romance, and “freedom.” The episode closes with a look at today’s landscape, social media, filters, algorithms, and AI, and what families, schools, and prevention programs can do that truly helps.
What You’ll Learn
- Media literacy as prevention: Teaching kids how to understand ads, instead of just telling them to “say no,” helps delay when they start and lowers the risks.
- How ads target emotions, not logic: Advertisers design campaigns to influence us without us noticing, linking their products to feelings of belonging, celebration, and identity.
- Gendered marketing tactics: Alcohol is marketed differently to men and women, and objectifying women in ads leads to bigger problems.
- From billboards to social media: Filters, algorithms, and content made by peers increase pressure and make substance use seem normal.
- Hope in practice: Evidence‑based prevention models rooted in Jean’s work, like Hanley’s Alcohol Literacy Challenge and Prevention Research Institute’s Prime for Life.
Resources & Mentions
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- Jean Kilbourne, Ed.D. – Films & resources: jeankilbourne.com
- Alcohol Literacy Challenge – Hanley Foundation’s classroom program teaching media literacy around alcohol.
- Prime For Life – Prevention Research Institute’s evidence‑based curriculum.
- Learn more: hanleyfoundation.org | Call: 844‑502‑4673
