Culture Crit

By Margaret Feldstein

READ THIS! It's not what ad agencies used to call the soft sell. No subliminal advertising here. "Smoke this," demands a new Winston Cigarettes ad. Smell This is the unsubtle brand name of a new fragrance. Taste This, urges Ellen DeGeneres' latest CD. Rock This! insists Chris Rock's recent tome. So what gives? It's part of the continuing evolution of louche street slang into the mainstream. And, if you buy this, consumers just like to be told what to do.

--Margaret Feldstein