Governments and regulatory bodies continue to ignore the culture drivers fueling sexist attitudes and behaviours

This week we’ve had big name global clothing companies General Pants, Calvin Klein and Queensland fast food eatery, Burger Urge, in our sights. GP and CK are repeat offenders. It’s the first time this slimy burger chain has come to our attention. The only urge we now have is to expose the lot of you for your sexism and women hatred.

Collective Shout has covered our action against GP and CK.

General Pants Sexist Ad Campaign

Well General Pants are under the spotlight again for yet another sexist ad campaign. General Pants are repeat offenders. We’ve highlighted them in our #CrossedOff blog every year since 2010.

There was the time they forced teenage staff to wear “I love sex” badges. The time they plastered their change rooms with images of pornography and prostitution advertisements. The time they used posters of a topless woman being stripped from behind. And who can forget their “Wet Dreams” promotion.

This time they have released a video and poster campaign called “Fit in” to advertise their new denim range.

What is most obvious from the in-store posters and the accompanying video is the way the women in particular are sexualised (one is even topless) while the men appear mostly fully clothed.

What makes matters more unbelievable is that General Pants recently partnered with White Ribbon selling ribbons and wristbands in-store and online to raise funds for the anti-violence campaign. This is ironic considering objectification of women, sexist jokes and language are all contributing factors to violence against women… Read full article and take action here 

General Pants seems to think it can white wash its sexism by flogging a few white ribbons

I’ve seen some pathetic responses from corporates in my time. This would have to be in the top five.

This doesn’t even make sense. It won’t happen in future by you stand by it? Have you thought of taking up a course in ‘Logic for Dummies’?

If you want to be inclusive why not stop objectifying half of humanity?

Trying to capitalize on its relationship with White Ribbon, General Sexism, sorry, General Pants, issued another statement Friday. Nice try, but you’re still not excused. And this is hardly a ‘singular’ example. You have an entire culture of sexism shown through repeated sexual exploitation of women which we’ve been documenting since our formation.

White Ribbon needs to take a strong stand and dump General Pants as a partner. As my colleague and Collective Shout’s director of operations Coralie Alison pointed out, the anti-violence organisation expressed concern about General Pants late last year.

General Pants can’t white wash its sexism by flogging a few white ribbons.

Calvin Klein’s Sexist Billboard – Men Make Money, Women Seduce

It’s 2016. Yet companies all over the world continue to push the toxic message that women are only valued for their sex appeal. We’ve spoken out about Calvin Klein before for their ‘gang rape’ billboards which thankfully at the time were ordered to be removed after complaints to the Advertising Standards Board.

Now they have come out with this:

The text accompanying the image of the woman says “I seduce in #mycalvins” and the text accompanying the man says “I make money in #mycalvins” suggesting that while men can be successful in business women are only there for their sex appeal. There is an obvious contrast between the way the two images are styled and posed.

One successful businesswoman, Heidi Zak, who is a CEO of ThirdLove, the company she founded, saw the Billboard and decided she was going to do something about it….Read full article and take action here.

Burger Urge Delivers Sexism

Brisbane-based restaurant chain Burger Urge says “We Deliver!” It sure does – delivering sexism with this new ad campaign. A woman, spread legged and reclining as though giving birth, delivers a big juicy hamburger into the hands of a waiting man. Mocking the profound act of birthing a child, the woman is treated as a piece of meat delivering meat.

I’m quoted in The Australian Women’s Weekly re Burger Urge’s sexist ad.

Is this the most sexist burger add you’ve seen?

This is one of the most sexist burger ads we’ve ever seen. And unfortunately there have been a few…

Collective Shout founder Melinda Tankard Reist says that this is just one more example of the “sexist, backward, misogynist advertising” that we are being confronted with every day.

“You wonder if these companies realise it’s the 21st century,” she says.

“We’ve all had enough of this, we’re not buying it, we think women should be treated as women not as objects.”

Tankard Reist notes that the Burger Urge ad is just one of a barrage of sexist ads that have become the wallpaper of our society.

“The cumulative effect of this sort of sexism creates and contributes to sexist and misogynist attitudes which in turn create sexist behaviour that ultimately hurts women and girls,” she says. Read full article here. 

Let Burger Urge know what you think of them on their FB page.  And urge your friends to do the same.

Or call their QLD outlets: (07) 3254 1655, (07) 3844 8777, (07) 3839 2187 and ask to speak to management.

Wicked Action against Wicked Campers

After all that, it’s time for some good news.

 

New Zealanders are rising up against Wicked Campers, against which we have had a long running campaign. This NZ campervan holiday park has banned Wicked Campers from entry. If only Australian tourist parks would do the same!

A popular South Island campground has taken a stand to turn away Wicked Campers vans, as their offensive slogans spark controversy.

Abel Tasman’s Kaiteriteri Beach Motor Camp has already turned away two Wicked Campers vans after making a decision on Monday to ban their vehicles from staying at their campground.

Kaiteriteri recreation reserve chief executive David Ross said the staff were “always unhappy” with the offensive slogans scrawled across the vans coming through to the site.

Now a Byron Bay granddad has taken matters into his own hands with a spray can. Go Granddad!

IT’S NOT funny anymore, Wicked, it’s “hideous” and “disgraceful”.

That’s the message from our readers, who have applauded Byron Bay grandfather Paul McCarthy for spray painting over an offensive message on a Wicked car.

He objected to the slogan – “a bl#w job a day beats an apple” – and it seems he’s hit a nerve.

We posted our story to The Northern Star’s Facebook page and Mr McCarthy was cheered for his actions.

Steve Carter said: “Everyone should carry a can of spray paint in their car and do the same when they see these hideous vans.”

Jamie Robertson called for a nationwide campaign to spay over Wicked’s “misogynistic and offensive slogans”.

Others said there should be laws against the vans, with Tracey Blogg describing them as “disgraceful”.

“Poor grandfather (Mr McCarthy) … if he has to go to court maybe we could have a protest out the front of the court house,” she posted…

Thousands have railed against the van company in Byron Bay.

Thousands of people have joined a group calling for the boycott of Wicked Campers after a Byron Bay man was threatened with prosecution because he sprayed over an obscene slogan on the back of one of the company’s vehicles.

The company’s vans with their lurid spraypainted slogans, some even promoting, if not inciting rape, are popular with young tourists travelling around the northern rivers.

Byron shire grandfather Paul McCarthy told media he had a ‘brain snap’ when he saw the slogan ‘A b..w job a day beats an apple’ on the back of a Wicked Camper vehicle recently and spray-painted over the offending word (blow).

 

There’s a new petition calling on the QLD Attorney-General to take action. Please support it.

 

See also:

 ‘Violence against women is endemic to our sick culture’, MTR

‘Sexual assault counsellor asks: Why is it OK to use sexual violence as a marketing tool?’, MTR