http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkp4t5NYzVM
It's a clip of Daniel Craig appearing in a clip for International Women's Day, in a spot narrated by Dame Judy Dench, who plays M in the two James Bond films he appears in.
Craig dresses in drag for this spot (you don't have to bother to watch the clip, it's boring).
The message is the standard one, that women don't have equal rights. The IWD sponsors undoubtedly thought they could make a bigger splash by enlisting 007 to present their message.
Craig in a dress bears a striking resemblance to Courtney Love (which makes me feel all the more justified in finding her completely unattractive). But that aside, what my son meant with his comment was that by appearing in the spot Craig was cheapening the 007 brand. As an actor, Craig is of course free to appear in whatever he wishes. But he is now most closely associated with the Bond role, and there was nothing about Bond -- as he was originally created -- that indicated he was a feminist.
What also struck me about this spot was how much it reminded me of all those actresses who appeared naked for PETA. Many of these beautiful young women would appear naked in ads with captions saying "I'd rather wear nothing at all than fur." It was my impression that many of these women simply wanted to pose naked and used the PETA cause as a high-minded excuse to do so.
Likewise, it is hard not to suspect that at some level Craig relished the opportunity to appear in drag.
Ian Fleming must be turning over in his grave.
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