Boux Avenue - the underwear chain owned by Dragon's Den's Theo Paphitis- received complaints after displaying scantily dressed women hanging out washing in their Churchill Square shop window.
The shop was accused of "demeaning women with outdated ideology" through the display - but said that they had misjudged the display as simply "fun and engaging".
The company said the controversial displays would be removed from Brighton this week and not repeated across its chain of national stores after Brighton student Sarah Derby made a complaint.Oh, I might have known! Just what is she studying, I wonder?
Miss Derby, 23, said: "I understand sex sells but this window displays a picture of women as sexualised domestic beings.
"They seem to be saying that to be sexy you also need to be able to do the laundry.
"I live in Kemp Town and walk past all the sex shops every day. This isn't about being prudish but sexuality shouldn't be linked with domesticity.
"The implications of women as being nothing more than sexualised domestic beings reinforces anachronistic gender roles of 50 plus years ago."
In her full complaint to the company, Miss Derby questioned why the firm had not chosen to display attractive women in the House of Commons, laboratories or succeeding at sport.Because none of those things are likely to be done in your knickers and bra, which is what this shop sells, you dim little harridan?
However other shoppers questioned whether the display caused any harm. One woman said: "I think there are probably more important things to get offended by than this.
"Surely people would be just as offended if they advertised their frilly knickers with MPs in front of the House of Commons."Of course they would.
Because for so many of today’s coddled little kidults, ‘being offended’ is their raison de etre…
none of those things are likely to be done in your knickers and bra,
ReplyDeleteTBH, most housework is also not done in just knickers and bra either, unless there is a laundry crisis of shocking proportions.
Miss Derby's objection seems to be that women in a domestic context should not be shown as sexual beings at all, regardless of the home being the appropriate place for the making and support of children.
Perhaps she would prefer women to go back to Thinking of England.
Bravo.
ReplyDeleteA moment here to remember David James Wilkie (9 July 1949 – 30 November 1984) who is described as 'killed' because the law failed to call this what it was: cold-blooded murder.
Dean Hancock and Russell Shankland were found guilty of murder by a jury and should, in a better world, have spent the rest of their lives in prison, having deprived 35 year old Wilkie of his future for all eternity.
Instead, on appeal the jury's common sense was overturned and a fudge substituted, based around the bizarre notion that dropping a concrete block on a person might not have death as 'a natural consequence'. This hogwash was upheld by the House of Lords.
I do not regard this as a leading case about the difference between murder and manslaughter. Rather, it just shows that the Appeal court and the HoL were willing to turn over a properly tried jury verdict for political opportunism.
I find Ms Derby exceedingly offensive: do I have any options now we all seem to have a right not to be offended?
ReplyDeleteHang on, that's the wrong thread. Sorry. Should be on the clip about miners' strike.
ReplyDeleteI suppose to satisfy the likes of MD Derby, underwear should be modeled by mannequins in various colours and sizes, and displayed against a suitably dull background. Beige perhaps?
ReplyDeleteI suspect that Ms Darby's objection has more to do with her self image.
@mikebravo - I suspect that she's just a little self-important princess.
ReplyDeleteThe company's even more foolish for pandering to her.
Jay
Not enough people around today that will tell these arseholes to go and FUCK themselves.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if Miss Derby would be quite so vociferous if the image was one of an overly tattooed, ex footballing, underpants and aftershave salesman shown mowing the lawn in his shreddies?
ReplyDeletePenseivat
"TBH, most housework is also not done in just knickers and bra either..."
ReplyDeleteDepends on the household! And also, it has to be said, the season.
"Hang on, that's the wrong thread. Sorry. Should be on the clip about miners' strike."
I guessed.. ;)
But if only the Appeal Court and HoL had limited themselves to that small outbreak of political opportunism... *sighs*
"Beige perhaps?"
Gosh, no! That would alienate PoC (or whatever the current nomenclature is).
"Not enough people around today that will tell these arseholes to go and FUCK themselves."
Yup. Why do companies make themselves hostage to these cretins?