Oooh oooh ooh, is THIS 'mansplaining' in action??

[Queen0fFlamingEverything]

I post a FB rant (just a small one) about our local independent builders' merchant, who have an advert in todays local rag featuring a semi naked woman and some drills

Male 'friend' tootles along and tells me "Ah yes but sex sells you know, and there are worse culprits if you really want to be complaining about it".

Indeed there are. Doesn't mean I can't be pissed off that the local trader which I always use instead of Travis Perkins in an effort to be more conscious about where our money goes, has decided to buy into that damaging objectifying shit, does it??

[MerryFuckingChristmas]

< dabs bingo card >

[WoTmania]

there's also the dismissive 'but there are more important things to worry about' aspect going on there.

[MerryFuckingChristmas]

yes, it's a double dibdab

you must be so proud to warrant one of those, they are quite rare

[tribpot]

I love the 'if you really want to be complaining about it' - like 'obviously this is a matter of such supreme trivia that I can hardly bring my fingers to type about it, but if you have so little to bother your head about that you want to worry about it, well, why don't you, dear?'

And sex sells power tools? To whom? Surely a guy who didn't know anything about them would go for the one that looked the most rugged. A person (male or female) who did know about them would go for the one best suited to the job and budget. And a woman who didn't know anything about them is hardly going to be drawn to the one with the naked woman advertising it. So as well as being stupid, it's also ineffective advertising. If that were the point, which it isn't.

[Queen0fFlamingEverything]

Its not the first time he's come across as a condescending twat on FB now I think about it. I shall have to hide him. He used to seem quite sound until a bitter custody battle with his ex brought out his latent what-about-the-menz tendencies.

[Queen0fFlamingEverything]

Exactly, tribpot!

My 10 yr old DD has just come in and suggested we ring them tomorrow and ask if they are selling naked women now, and if not why have they got one on their advert? I have a feeling she already has a better grip on the matter than the 40 odd year old mansplainer ever will

[NiceTabard]

haha yes good question from your DD.

There is a lingerie ad in london at the moment which simply seems to be selling "sexy women". I can't quite work out who it's aimed at either

[TheDoctrineOfSanta]

Using power tools naked is a massive health and safety issue, surely?

I wonder if sex actually does sell? Yes, it catches the eye but surely in this case it's in a "why does that naked woman have a drill?" way rather than a "hmm, bet they are a reliable supplier" way?

[YouMakeMeWannaLaLa]

Urgh...call him on it! Mind you, most of the time I can't be bothered to engage with this sort of thing unless I'm pissed or angry it rarely changes their minds

I'm highly dubious about the 'sex sells' mantra too. Does it? A stereotypically attractive woman presented in a sexual way (cleavage, lingerie etc.) may draw the eye (both male and female) but when these images are everywhere it's unlikely to make people dwell any longer on the ad than on any non-sexy ad. Indeed looking at a sexy-ad would mean 2 seconds of looking at tits, looking at a non-sexy ad would mean 2 seconds absorbing the info, surely? And is anyone, even the most ogling of oglers more likely to buy stuff just because they use semi-clad women in their advertising; everyone knows you don't actually get a free bj just because you buy a drill from the OP's DIY merchants.

I think maybe sex sold at one point when it was new, risqué and attention grabbing...not any more, surely?

[TheDoctrineOfSanta]

If racism sold, would that be ok?

If homophobia brought the customers in, would that be just dandy?

What about a "comedy" ad campaign hiding stuff from a blind person? Would catch the attention, would not be acceptable.

It's not sex they are selling, it's sexism.

Grr. Aargh.

[TheDoctrineOfSanta]

To have the heterosexual sex you need one naked man and one naked woman.

Does the ad have a naked man in?

[tribpot]

Actually Santa I think many advertisers would be quite open about not using non-white people in adverts where it might have a negative effect on sales. But I agree, it's sexism they're selling.

[fivegolddeblooms]

I agree with everything you say.

Except for your use of the term 'mansplaining', which I personally hate.

[Queen0fFlamingEverything]

It must be a terrible health and safety risk. She appears to be naked on her top half but wearing a red bowler hat with a sprig of holly on it (no safety helmet in sight) and elbow length lace gloves .

Even I know to tie my hair back and wear a top when using power tools, and I am shit at DIY.

And yes, exactly, its sexism not sex. Ugh.

[tribpot]

I feel very sorry for the woman who posed for this advert, I hope some of the accessories have been Photoshopped on to her. I would rather be buck naked than cavorting with power tools whilst wearing a red bowler hat and elbow length lace gloves.

[TheDoctrineOfSanta]

Trib I don't disagree re agencies picking white over non white, by a racist campaign I meant one which showed a non white person in a demeaning or objectified position because of their race.

[Queen0fFlamingEverything]

No, no naked man.

'Friend' has told me now that sex is used to sell things to women too so it must be okay then

[tribpot]

He's quite the expert, isn't he? Has he confused Mad Men with a modern-day documentary, I wonder?

[TheDoctrineOfSanta]

Did he say "diet coke ad"?

[Queen0fFlamingEverything]

She's not actually holding a drill, to be fair. She's holding a sign that says "Great deals for you" and doing that pouting-over-her-shoulder thing. With very red lipstick on, and surrounded by drills and cordless detectors. I'd put the pic on my profile but because its a small local business and the name is all over the advert, it would make me and my location very easily identifiable. Should've namechanged!

[NiceTabard]

I might be persuaded to buy something that I was looking for, over another vendor, if it was offered by a smoking hot man in tight pants.

Where do I get to see that again? Oh yes, nowhere.

[Queen0fFlamingEverything]

He's backed down quite a bit now after I had a sort-of go at him.

[TheDoctrineOfSanta]

Go QOFE!

[CaptainHindsight]

Was it an Sds drill? You can't drill concrete floors without one.
slightly off topic there

I live in an area where the local scrap merchants was banned from promoting their "sexy" ads so they just put a strategically placed BANNED sign over the women's bodies.

I called them up and raged that I had to explain to my Ds who was around 5 at the time that they weren't "scrapping" women but using them to sell a service. Fuming was not the word.

They have gone bust now, what a shame

[AskBasilAboutCranberrySauce]

There's a garage near us which has a picture of a woman with no clothes on on the window.

Fuck knows why.

My DD has said she'd like to vandalise it.