This is wrong right?

[DukeOfSussex]

If your teenage daughter had her first week at the University of Sussex this week this is what found in her welcome bag.

A Pot Noodle, A tablet of washing detergent, a sim card and an individual sized portion of instant coffee.

AND

A picture of a woman designed to look like she has spunk dripping down her face to sell toothbrushes. "whether you spit or swallow during your twice daily oral regime..."

She'll also find a drinks night event by the Student union being advertised all over campus. It has a picture of a dead eyed half naked woman laying in an empty bath...which advertises what? Fuck knows.

She will also find a copy of the student newspaper in her bag. On the front cover at the very top of the page is an article entitled "Transphobia and toilets". This is discussing the recent words of University of Sussex philosophy professor Kathleen Stock who dared to very (politely) question some aspects of trans theory.

Your daughter, if disabled, will also be concerned to see that some of the disabled toilets have been declared "for all genders". Which is lovely and inclusive but not ideal if you're disabled and need a wee and need to wait for an able bodied non binary male wearing lipstick to go for a shit first.

She will find that the "This Sussex Girl Can" all women only classes are open to all "women, trans gender people and non binary individuals" so just mixed classes basically .

So far so expected of university in general but what upsets me is that people wanted Kathleen Stock's job for having an opinion. She caused students to feel "unsafe" with her very words, but in a world where women are literally unsafe and sexual assault is endemic in universities, Sussex student union didn't think twice before objectifying its female students. If your employer gave you a goody bag with this card in it you could rightfully be making a formal complaint to your HR department. Why is it appropriate for university?

We can't discuss why it's always a woman advertising drinks, or toothbrushes without discussing women and the group of people who actually deal with the real repercussions of being women. It's a bloody joke.Why don't people care about actual sexism, real life objectification of women.

[IAmLurkacus]

O...M...G thankfully that’s not where DD is? Does it say anything about gulags? 😮

[MaryandMichael]

I rarely say this, but I feel disgusted by that.
It's not the sex or drinking that's disgusting, it's the way it is presented to women as an expectation.

[JamesBlonde1]

That is so fucking depressing. Who on earth thought all this crap is appropriate and why is it just thrust on women or men?

Our society is going in the complete wrong direction.

What is wrong with just going to university to learn, you know, like you did 30 years ago?

FFS!!

[DukeOfSussex]

MaryandMichael

it's the way it is presented to women as an expectation.

Yep. If they wanted to be overtly sexual couldn't they have just done something useful like hand out condoms? It's just about women as pornography.

[nopeni]

God, and the pressure that sort of thing puts on you - must be cool, must fit in and so on.

[DukeOfSussex]

What really winds me up is that it's obviously aimed at 18 year old freshers but the marketing was very likely by middle aged men. Something very wrong about that.

[BlancheM]

I have no words. Depressing.

[DukeOfSussex]

Oh also, in case anyone was worried that feminism has completely passed Sussex by you will be pleased to note that "The Big Debate" was directly under the "transphobia and toilets" article and two women were given a full page to debate if Celebrity Island was feminist of not.

It is. or isn't. Totes heteronormitive. Women are a bit whiny and hysterical aren't they?
-gist of it.

[RiddleyW]

It’s pretty tacky, I’m not a fan. I doubt it was designed by middle aged men though - marketing is pretty female.

[IfIWasABirdIdFlyIn2ACeilingFan]

It baffles me completely that disabled toilets are involved in this!! Disabled toilets are always a single toilet with sink included all in one room. Not a cubicle. They are already “gender neutral” but for disabled people of any gender. Why on earth are they suddenly being made bog standard loos that anyone can use? How is that anything to do with gender? Disabled toilets should not be lost to the gender debate! How ridiculous.

[DukeOfSussex]

marketing is pretty female

But not exclusively female and if a woman decided to sell toothbrushes through faux 'facials' I'll eat my hat.

[DukeOfSussex]

It misses out that 50% of their target market don't want to see that anyway.

[KataraJean]

I am shocked at that image. I am worried how widely that has been circulated - it must have gone beyond Sussex. Why does tooth brushing need to be sexualised? With a woman being objectified? The female students are there on the same grades and with the same intelligence and aspirations as the male students.

[IAmLurkacus]

Do we know the boys got given? Can someone tweet Dr Stock with this?

[Shockers]

Not Sussex, but DS was given chocolate, a pot noodle, a coconut milk drink, an energy drink, condoms, a pink Venus razor, charcoal hair conditioner, shave balm, hair wax, and lots of leaflets about student support and freshers’ week events...

Not really gender specific.

[DukeOfSussex]

Do we know the boys got given? Can someone tweet Dr Stock with this?

Oh sorry, I meant that it missed out half it's audience because heterosexual women and lesbians don't really have any interest in that picture. But the bag itself was given to all freshers regardless of "gender". I can't even imagine how gendered bags would work in Sussex. Absolute minefield"

[DukeOfSussex]

I am shocked at that image. I am worried how widely that has been circulated - it must have gone beyond Sussex. Why does tooth brushing need to be sexualised? With a woman being objectified? The female students are there on the same grades and with the same intelligence and aspirations as the male students

The box in the student goody bag is made by a company called "Dig In". They included the toothbrush card and it has a specific "Dig in" offer directly written on the non spunky side. The student union have included the dig in boxes in the goody bags and affixed their Sussex student union stickers on them but I imagine it's gone to loads of other universities too.

[DukeOfSussex]

Do we know the boys got given? Can someone tweet Dr Stock with this?

I a happy for the thread to be tweeted if anyone does Twitter.

[Threewheeler1]

That's utterly grim.
University of Sussex are really setting out their stall with regards to their view of women.
Ugh

[DukeOfSussex]

University of Sussex are really setting out their stall with regards to their view of women.

Unfortunately, yes.

[GulagMilkMonitor]

That is utterly, utterly vile.

Especially troubling is the co-opting of disabled toilets.

[GulagMilkMonitor]

About to email Brushbox too.

[DukeOfSussex]

It is a very diverse campus and they have a prayer room for Muslim students with separate, key coded, sex segregated entrances. It goes without saying that there will be many young women who are unable to make use of certain areas such as locker rooms and bathrooms because they will be confronted by males. When men want sex segregated areas they get a key code though.

[GulagMilkMonitor]

Does anyone know that the provisions for disabled toilets in buildings like student unions? We should be able to work out how many people the building is licenced to hold at capacity and therefore work out if they are impacting disabled peoples rights.

If my son was unable to use the toilet because it had been decided it was now a “whoever the fuck” loo rather than a disabled specific loo I would be contacting my solicitor.

[Gileswithachainsaw]

Really really grim