Jean Kilbourne, Ed. D.

Jean Kilbourne, Ed.D., is internationally recognized for her groundbreaking work on the image of women in advertising and her critical studies of alcohol and tobacco advertising. Her films, lectures, and television appearances have been seen by millions of people throughout the world. She was named by The New York Times Magazine as one of the three most popular speakers on college campuses.

She is the author of the award-winning book Can’t Buy My Love: How Advertising Changes the Way We Think and Feel and So Sexy So Soon: The New Sexualized Childhood and What Parents Can Do to Protect Their Kids.

The prize-winning films based on her lectures include Killing Us Softly, Spin the Bottle, and Slim Hopes. She is a frequent guest on radio and television programs, including The Today Show and The Oprah Winfrey Show.

Kilbourne has served as an advisor to the Surgeon General and has testified for the U.S. Congress. She holds an honorary position as senior scholar at the Wellesley Centers for Women.

Kilbourne has received many awards, including the Lecturer of the Year award from the National Association for Campus Activities. A more unusual tribute was paid when an all-female rock group in Canada named itself Kilbourne in her honor. Kilbourne has a BA in English from Wellesley College and a doctorate in education from Boston University.