The worst cervical cancer campaign ever...

Absolutely.

The mostly affects women or people with cervixes wording is especially confusing for women who don’t know they have a cervix.

It creates this idea that having a cervix is separate from being a woman, which serves the TRA agenda but disadvantages the 50% of women who know they’re women but don’t know what a cervix is.

The infuriating thing is that the female people who don’t want to be called women (a) tend to know full well that they are biologically female and (b) are more likely than the average women to know the anatomical names for the female reproductive system. That is, of course, why they’re so keen on ‘people with cervixes’ as an alternative even if it causes enormous problems to a whole range of people whose type of vulnerability just isn’t very fashionable.

Barriers to cervical screening among older women from hard-to-reach groups: a qualitative study in England (2019)

Barriers to cervical cancer screening among ethnic minority women: a qualitative study (2015)

Barriers to cervical cancer screening attendance in England: a population-based survey (2009)

Barriers to cervical screening and interest in self-sampling among women who actively decline screening (2018)

There’s been research into why women - including women from the target demographic of this campaign - don’t attend cervical screening. This (frankly quite grotesque & likely to add to the sexual harassment of women & girls) campaign does exactly nothing to address any of the issues raised.

There’s no use talking about people criticising the campaign here & social media being “awareness raising” if the target demographic have not engaged with the weirdly sexualised advert; & on this discussion being what reaches them, the result is that they are horrified & decide not to attend a screening 🤦🏻‍♀️

(NB None of the above papers look specifically at NW England, but are still - especially the first two - highly relevant.)

‘Mostly affects women and people with cervixes’…

How would people who don’t have cervixes get cervical cancer? The wording is ludicrous.

Cervical cancer only affects female people. Not mostly affects. Only affects them.

The problem with stupid and over complex wording is that it inevitably does muddy the message. The people who most need the message are often the ones most disadvantaged by the message being relayed in EDI-speak.

Note to any Campaign Managers reading this thread - Test your idea out on Mumsnet first, before you commit any money to it. We'll let you know what women think of it!

I don't think I've ever seen a smear test campaign that wasn't trying to guilt and shame women into going, or just plain grim. I don't know who they get to do the marketing but they're all shit.

No woman who is traumatised by a smear or is reluctant to have one because of a myriad of reasons, is going to be swayed by a jaunty, jokey, risqué advertising sountbite.

It's not beer, ffs.

Women with vaginismus, those who have had bad experiences with smear tests, those who have survived sexual assault, those who come from a religious background or culture… I mean, what the heck? Not inclusive. It looks like a promo for a Lovely Legs competition on a seaside resort in the 1970s. It’s nudge, nudge, wink wink. Ooh saucy. Well let’s have a picture of a load of peaches lined up for a prostate awareness campaign, with a couple of clinking pint glasses and the message: Bottoms up, people! Keep everything peachy and give prostate cancer the finger!

You're missing the point, ScreamEggs. They don't know they have a cervix, they do know they are women - so the campaign needs to say 'this is for women', not 'this is for people with a cervix'. So the inclusion or not of the word women is exactly the problem.

The press release article on their website mentions the word 'woman' once

We already know that when polled half of women or more in the UK did not not know they had a cervix.

So even if the word women is included like on the press release article, if women still don't know they have a cervix when the word's there, it's not the inclusion or not of the word women that's the problem, so not sure where you'd go from there?
More education seems to be the solution in that case

It isn't, though. It makes a complete nonsense of the stats. It obscures the target audience. And for women who may be worried about not getting a female health professional, the use of 'people' instead of women might increase that fear.

Not fine at all.

But I’m sure which ever marketing guru came up with that thinks it’ll do wonders for their CV

Exactly. It smacks of some wanky ad agency who are really pleased with themselves.

So the whole 'nudge nudge ha ha uncross your legs ladies' nonsense might actually decrease participation.

I agree. Have they actually looked at why women don't attend smears? "Don't fear your smear?" Fuck off.

The press release article on their website mentions the word 'woman' once.

We already know that when polled half of women or more in the UK did not not know they had a cervix. The page linked from that twitter post didn't even really discuss this. Just kept using language that was indirect and relied on someone understanding they had a cervix.

I see.

So “it doesn't offend me” was not trying to make other women who were pointing out how this was offensive feel shamed by them feeling offended.

Ok…. Good to know.

Well, I can tell you confidently that in the aim of reaching a group of women who have language differences and who may be horrified by the sexual innuendo of this campaign, this campaign is not going to work. That very first paragraph of the article repeated the text that was on the sign.

So, someone already feeling this was not appropriate to them will simply click away from it after reading that. Why the fuck would they read it through? And why the fuck would they even be clicking to the site in any case?

How would they be expected to land there?

And if they did randomly land on the site and saw this, who in that demographic would fucking even think this charity was for them?

A multi layered fail.

That installation is very off-putting.

This!

I am a Sexual Abuse and Assault survivor.

My first smear at 22 was horrifically painful as I 'locked up' below.

I've had several since of course, and also had children, but my last smear I still nearly walked out when presented with a man. I had a timed slot and a nabothian cyst blocking the entrance to my cervix which had prevented my local surgery nurse doing the procedure a year before, and I was worried about it so felt I had to go through with it.

I hated it. I told myself never again would I agree to accepting a male nurse for a smear test.

This Ad reeks of sexual innuendo, and I'd be mortified to think what a group of rowdy drunk sports fans will be saying as they walk past in the busy station.

As a young body conscious woman with an experience of negative sex I'd be put off immediately. It would have just justified my concerns that some people performing cervical smears may have a sexual fetish.

No! No! Wims… we are just speaking from being prudish and not appreciative of such a modern empowering ad campaign!

Cool women who matter have no boundaries. And that's ok, because any women not like them don't matter

Nobody on here has said anything like that though?!
Nobody has said it's prudish not to want one, or that women who have different life experiences/opinions don't matter.
Of course they matter, we all do

Only women need smear tests not people.

But the question can be asked about the article, what women in the target group are going to read that press release in the charity’s site?
Yes, I think you're right, as in not everyone will read press releases or articles so it would make more sense to use the same wording on the concourse sign than is in the article, which does actually use the word women too.
I don't know what the answer is to getting more people to go for a smear, I think it's really important to go for one so my immediate reaction was that raising awareness of going for your smear is good.
I know it's not always that easy for some though so am finding the different opinions and experiences interesting, we're all different so there's not one easy way of getting everyone to go for one who needs one.

So often seen on MN and in society.

Cool women who matter have no boundaries. And that's ok, because any women not like them don't matter.

Makes me think of a Sarah Lucas art installation.

so cost effective - they can re-use the same add for prostrate exams too.

honestly I despair. using the word woman is not offensive. why, oh why do these initiatives not use the word?

It's painful not embarrassing. Change the test and watch the numbers soar.

The article is not the topic of the thread. Just admit that you jumped in to defend the signs without reading the actual signs. My commenr quoted your support of the sign, that you are now trying to make the thread about the article is weak.

But the question can be asked about the article, what women in the target group are going to read that press release in the charity’s site? And how would they even take notice of it if they have not read the sign?