Women's Views on News |
- Barrage of complaints about creepy e-cigarette ads
- Women not buying into sexy adverts for cheap goods
- Events: 9 – 15 December
- Gender segregation at UK universities?
| Barrage of complaints about creepy e-cigarette ads Posted: 09 Dec 2013 09:00 AM PST
Electronic cigarette company VIP are facing a backlash over their cringe-inducing, sexist, TV advertising campaign. 'I want you to get it out', purrs a woman wearing a black cocktail dress: 'I want to see it, feel it, hold it, put it in my mouth.' While the woman in the advertisement might want 'to see how great it tastes', the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA), who have received a barrage of complaints regarding the ad, have launched a formal investigation into the e-cigarette company's recent campaign. An ASA spokesman said: 'The ASA has received a significant number of complaints about two TV ads for VIP electronic cigarettes. 'One ad shows a woman, and the other a man, both speaking directly into the camera. 'Complainants object that the language used in the ads is overly sexual and offensive while others object that the ad sexualizes and glamorises e-cigarettes and/or smoking.' While the ad centered around the woman is pretty awful, the version featuring a man reaches another level of creepy on the #Thicke-terscale. Rather than reversing the gender roles in the male advert (which would make commercial sense given that in some western countries smoking is increasing among women while decreasing among men), VIP have their man ask 'Do you want to see it?', before generously offering to let '[you] hold it, put it in your mouth, and see how great it tastes'. Not surprisingly, give the sexism inherent in the advertisements, is a comment received by a colleague who misheard Vape (defined by the Urban Dictionary as ‘To inhale vapor from E-cigarettes. Used because “smoking” an E-cig doesn’t apply as there is no smoke only vapour’) as rape. But, completely ‘missing the point’, Miguel Corral, co-owner of VIP Electronic Cigarettes said: “I think it's safe to say that our ads could be considered controversial and definitely push boundaries. “Due to advertising regulations we were not permitted to include the product in the ad, so we decided to take a tongue-in-cheek approach to appeal to an adult audience and communicate the superior taste of VIP products, whilst making it clear that the product does contain nicotine and that they are only available to smokers over the age of 18.” So, not being able to show the product in the advertisement seems to translate into sexism as the only option then? Meanwhile, it looks as if television is not the only medium that sees electronic cigarette advertisers employ sexist techniques to target an exclusively male audience. One leading UK e-cigarette promotions website, which is currently advertising major Christmas discounts, recently ran a blog outlining '26 Ways Electronic Cigarettes Are Better Than Sex'. The tenth reason suggested by the blog is that 'You can choose the exact colour and length of e-cigarette you want, whether it's a small and white e-cigarette – or a big black one', while number 13 states that 'you can use an e-cigarette in our office without being fired'. To complain, contact the Advertising Standards Agency.  |
| Women not buying into sexy adverts for cheap goods Posted: 09 Dec 2013 08:31 AM PST
Link sex to a cheap vodka drink and the mix won’t get us running to the nearest Bargain Booze store; but marry sex with a big bottle of bubbly and we’re off to Waitrose in a jiffy, new research claims. This is the theory according to the journal for the Association of Psychological Science. The researchers draw the conclusion that women have a negative reaction to advertisements using sexual imagery and especially when it is to sell cheap goods, but are more positive when the sex is dressed up to promote expensive items. The Independent reported that men and women were asked to look at a variety of adverts for watches. The watch was either associated with a sexually explicit image or a more neutral scene of a majestic mountain range. Some ads priced the watch at USD10 and others at USD1,250. It was found that women were more accepting of the sexual imagery when linked to the expensive watch than if it was selling the cheaper one. Price played no difference in the reactions of men. Psychological scientist Kathleen Vohs, who led the research at the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota, said that sexual economics theory explained why men and women differ in their responses. "Sexual economics theory offers a reason why: The use of sexual imagery is inimical to women's vested interest in sex being portrayed as infrequent, special, and rare," said Vohs. A controversial view, as Jezebel was quick to pick up on. Kelly Faircloth wrote: "Maybe they (women) simply find it distasteful when marketers try to use OMG BOOBS to market cheap crap. "Maybe the dudes in the study have just been desensitized by a lifetime of tawdry beer ads. Who knows! But suggesting that women don’t like raunchy ads because they think sex should only be soap-opera-wedding-night romantic is quite an intuitive leap." Quite. And perhaps it could just be that women love their own bodies and sexuality. If there is to be no choice about being objectified then at the very least our bodies could be viewed as an object of value, instead of just being regarded as a use-once-only for a cheap pick-me-up throw-away take away.  |
| Posted: 09 Dec 2013 04:08 AM PST
Belfast: 9 December: Women in Parliament at Greenway Women's Centre, 19 Greenway, Cregagh Estate, Belfast. Greenway Women's Centre is hosting Clare Mullin from the Houses of Parliament Outreach Service to speak about the role of women in parliament. Activities will examine: Parliament's work and processes, why engaging with Parliament is important, ways to effectively engage with Parliament, how to become directly involved by standing for election to Parliament. 9-14 December: Northern Ireland Human Rights Festival – in locations around Belfast. This festival sees a broad range of organisations from across Northern Ireland come together to provide an exciting range of events that help reflect the festival theme of "Celebrating and Protecting Human Rights". The festival programme integrates classic festival style events with topical human rights issues from home and abroad in an effort to raise public awareness and participation in the promotion and defence of human rights. This year as part of the programme there is a Human Rights Cabaret event in Belfast and Derry/Londonderry, the 'From a Republic of Conscience' poetry event at Queens University in conjunction with Belfast's first Poet Laureate Sinead Morrissey and several talks, presentations and many other events. Please check out the full programme of events. Bolton: Ongoing: Workshops are being held across Bolton to explore the impact of gender violence using The Mask as a symbol of solidarity. Safe spaces will be created for women to share experiences and find out more about local support available to them. Women are then being encouraged to create a mask to contribute to the Beyond The Mask exhibition. The exhibition will be held in conjunction with a pop up shop to raise funds for Paws For Kids – a charity supporting families and pets affected by domestic violence. Schools are taking part in a “These Hands are not for Hurting campaign and the White Ribbon Campaign encouraging men to pledge respect and support the ending violence against women and girls agenda. A Community Woman of the Year awards event will recognise and celebrate the amazing achievements of women who give up their time and energy to make our communities a better and happier place. For more specific info click here. Glasgow: Until 10 December: Glasgow Women's Aid at 40: Past, Present, Future Exhibition at Glasgow Women's Library, 23 Landressy Street, Glasgow open from 10am-4.30pm. This year marks the 40th anniversary of Glasgow Women's Aid. Join the Glasgow Women's Library during the 16 Days of Activism to Eliminate Violence Against Women for an exhibition that charts the development of the organisation to where it is today. From the groundbreaking work of the women that founded GWA , the growth of refuge provision and service development and acknowledging the amazing strength of the women, children and young people that GWA has supported over the 40 years. Entry is free. Leeds: 14 December: Leeds Roller Dolls Christmas Bash! at FullCircle Bespoke Design Emporium, Aire Place Mills, Leeds, from 6.30pm. Leeds Roller Dolls invite you to join them in celebrating what has been another fantastic and eventful year; travel teams had a seriously busy season; the arrival of several invaluable new sections to our League in our Wrecking Brawls and Junior League, and the start of a burgeoning relationship with Aire Force 1, Leeds’ first men’s roller derby team. It’s been a fabulous year, so let’s have a suitably fabulous party! London: Until 9 December: Body Wars at Bargehouse, Oxo Tower Wharf, London. Body Wars is a contemporary art exhibition that will deal with the raw subject of anorexia and obesity. The exhibition will suggest that the media's enormous influence, as well as that from the fashion, health, beauty and cosmetic industries, may be having devastating effects on men, women and children. Using different art mediums such as paint, drawing, sculpture, photography and film sourced from international artists, the viewer will be challenged in an educational and visual way to address the issues and to question whether these industries are major factors in contributing to the paranoia and neurosis of those suffering these diseases. 10 December: Protest against Universities UK! No to gender apartheid! meeting at Woburn House, 20 Tavistock Square, London, WC1 from 5pm On the occasion of the International Human Rights Day we oppose the legitimisation of forced gender segregation by Universities UK, the body representing the leadership of UK universities. Universities UK has issued a guidance on external speakers saying that the segregation of the sexes at universities is not discriminatory as long as "both men and women are being treated equally, as they are both being segregated in the same way." The document also alleges that universities would be legally obliged to enforce fully, not only partially segregated seating orders on audiences at universities. Outrageously, the document has been supported by the National Union of Students. We will meet at 5pm to start the protest at 5.30pm. 11 December: Free Angela and Other Political Prisoners: Screening and panel discussion on the work of Angela Davis at The Centre for Feminist Research, Goldsmiths, London, from 1-4pm The launch of The Centre for Feminist Research at Goldsmiths will feature a screening of the film, Free Angela and Other Political Prisoners (2012) followed by a panel discussion. The event has been organised to coincide with Angela Davis receiving an honorary degree from Goldsmiths on 14 December 2013. The Centre will be recognising and celebrating the work of Angela Davis with a specific focus on her contributions to Black feminism. The panel will include contributions from Sara Ahmed (Media and Communications), Joan Anim-Addo (English Language and Literature/Centre for Caribbean Studies), Claudia Bernard (Social, Therapeutic and Community Studies), Heidi Mirza (Sociology), Nirmal Puwar (Sociology) and Sunera Thobani (UBC, Vancouver). 12 December: Feminist Reflections on Researching So-called 'Honor Killings' with Dr Aisha K. Gill of the University of Roehampton, at SOAS, Russell Square: College Buildings, London, from 5pm-6.30pm. On 3 August 2012, Shafilea Ahmed's parents were convicted of her murder, nine years after the brutal 'honour' killing. The case offers important insights into how 'honour'-based violence might be tackled without constructing non-Western cultures as inherently uncivilised. Critiquing the framing devices that structure British debates about 'honour'-based violence exposes the prevalence of Orientalist tropes and reveals the need for new ways of thinking about culture that avoid the trap of essentialism. Thus, rather than attributing patterns of violence simply to 'culture', debates on 'honour'-based violence should explore the intersection of culture with gender and other axes of difference and inequality. To this end, women who have confronted 'honour'-based violence must be allowed to speak for themselves about both their individual and shared experiences. Dr Aisha K. Gill is a Reader in Criminology at University of Roehampton. She has been involved in addressing the problem of violence against women at the grassroots level for the past fourteen years and has published widely in refereed journals such as Current Sociology, Feminist Legal Studies, Feminist Review, Journal of Gender Studies, and Women's Studies International Forum. 15 December: The Pink Jukebox at Bishopsgate Institute, London, from 2pm. Celebrating the end of the Girls and Boys season, Bishopsgate Institute and the Pink Jukebox are delighted to present a day of Ballroom and Latin social dance. This event is open to dancers of all levels, from absolute beginners to the more experienced. Dances to be taught and schedule as follows: 2.00pm: Rumba (Advanced Level); 2.40pm: Quickstep and Samba (Intermediate Level); 3.40pm: Foxtrot and Jive (Beginners Level); 4.30pm – 7.30pm: Social dancing. Tickets £10/ £8 Until 15 December: Ana Mendieta – Traces at Hayward Gallery, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 The first retrospective of this major artist’s work to be presented in the UK. Focusing on her later pieces, the exhibition reveals the full breadth of her work and her unique practice in a wide variety of media, from photography to film, sculpture to drawing. You can read our account of the exhibition here. Manchester: 10 December: Candle-Lit Vigil to remember the two women each week murdered by their current or ex-partner and all the women who are experiencing domestic abuse. Outside the Bridgewater Hall , Lower Mosley Street, Manchester, M2 3WS, at 5pm. Please bring a tea light holder/jar. Newcastle upon Tyne: Until 21 December: Inspirational Women North East at Hatton Gallery, Claremont Road, Newcastle upon Tyne. A portrait exhibition featuring the work of photographers Bryony Bainbridge and Kami Dodds, celebrating the achievements of women who have played a vital role within the North. Perth: 9 December: "One Lonely Word" a play about gender violence and mental health, at AK Bell Library Soutar Theatre, York Place, Perth, from 2pm-4.30pm. As part of this year's 16 Days of Action to Eliminate Violence Against Women, Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre Perth and Kinross invites you to an afternoon with Naomi Breeze Productions. Tickets free.  |
| Gender segregation at UK universities? Posted: 09 Dec 2013 01:09 AM PST
Universities UK, the representative organisation for the UK’s universities, apparently believes that gender segregation is acceptable at British universities. It has claimed that segregation should be permitted in talks by external speakers so long as the women are seated alongside the men and the segregation is left to right rather than front to back. Universities UK (UUK) published a 40-page report, titled ‘External Speakers in Higher Education Institutions’, on the subject in the wake of numerous controversial events this year where segregated seating has been applied. So now they want to allow segregation at public meetings in publicly financed institutions. In March, noted atheist physicist Professor Lawrence Krauss threatened to leave a debate with Islamic lecturer Hamza Andreas Tzortzis at University College London (UCL) after it emerged that the organisers had attempted to segregate the audience. In another incident in April, it was alleged a sign was posted on the door of a debate at Leicester University directing men and women to different entrances. The National Federation of Atheist, Humanist and Secularist Student Societies found at least 40 cases within the last year where religious speakers demanded – and got – segregated university audiences. Non-segregated seating at ‘segregated events’ is also discussed in the report; Universities UK warned that not offering such seating could be discriminatory to other beliefs, such as the belief in freedom of choice, freedom of association and feminism. Nonetheless, Universities UK said steps to accommodate those with beliefs opposed to segregation should “not result in a religious group being prevented from having a debate in accordance with its belief system”. “Ultimately,” the report says, “if imposing an unsegregated seating area in addition to the segregated areas contravenes the genuinely-held religious beliefs of the group hosting the event, or the those of the speaker, the institution should be mindful to ensure the freedom of speech of the religious group or speaker is not curtailed unlawfully." The report continues: “Those opposed to segregation are entitled to engage in lawful protest against segregation, and could be encouraged to hold a separate debate of the issues, but their views do not require an institution to stifle a religious society's segregated debate where the segregation accords with a genuinely-held religious belief." Nicola Dandridge, chief executive of Universities UK, said the report was produced to ensure institutions could host external speakers "both safely and within the law". "External speakers play an important role in university life, not least in terms of encouraging students to think for themselves, challenge other people's views and develop their own opinions," Danridge said. She added: "Although most speakers are uncontroversial, some will express contentious, even inflammatory or offensive views. "Universities have to balance their obligation to encourage free speech with their duties to ensure that the law is observed, the safety and security of staff, students and visitors secured, and good campus relations promoted. "In practice, achieving this balance is not always easy." There is of course a business case for extending segregation. The chairman of the Islamic Education and Research Academy Abdurraheem Gree pointed out that; 'the idea of being forced to sit with people of the opposite sex and observing the adoption of anti-Islamic policies by British Universities might well lead many [foreign students] to avoid choosing this country to further their education.' ‘Such behaviour is not in the economic interests of universities or indeed the country as a whole.’ Nick Cohen, writing in the New Statesman, pointed out that Universities UK is taking a momentous step, which goes against 150 years of struggle for women's emancipation, without judicial or parliamentary authority. He asked Danridge about racial segration, and she said Universities UK could not recommend racial segregation because Parliament has banned it; when asked what about speakers insisting that homosexuals sit on one side of a hall and heterosexuals on another? she said she did not want to see gays singled out. But women apparently don’t matter to Danridge. So Cohen said he could only conclude, like the rest of us, that she had no understanding that powerful groups segregate to humiliate their targets and to enforce their ideologies. And, as Yasmin Alibhai Brown asked in the Independent, what will they do if a Muslim female Mandela sits with the men? Will she be carried out and thrown down the steps? A petition calling for this ‘guidance’ to be rescinded immediately and for sex segregation at universities to come to an end has already raised over 7,500 signatures. A protest is being held on 10 December outside the Universities UK offices at Woburn House, 20 Tavistock Square, London WC1H 9HQ from 5.00pm to 6.30pm. For facebook details of the event, click here. You can sign the petition against Universities UK's guidance by clicking here.  |
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