Sexist and dangerous Samaritans ad

No, I am neither disingenuous or easily manipulated. Generally take advertising with a pinch of salt.

Whilst I understand the importance of interventions, I think the Samaritans have got this advert wrong. There's no thought to the safeguarding of women on the railway network plus there's another guy in the picture, why couldn't he have stepped up? What bothers me, as another poster has said, is the message this is sending out to younger inexperienced women who want to do the right thing and end up putting themselves at risk.

Megifer · Today 14:07
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I'm just getting so fucked off with this shit overall.
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All these campaigns are "oooh if only someone had asked if they were ok". Like that stupid guilt trippy one at the football ground. It's always someone else's responsibility is the underlying message of these campaigns.
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But that campaign by the Samaritans is another level. What on earth were they thinking?
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This has actually enraged me like I've never felt before.”

Simple interventions can make a big difference, though. Of course it’s everyone’s right to take that decision based on their instincts, experience, the circumstances, location, etc.

really don’t see the problem though with publicising how effective a few words can be when someone is in crisis. It would be a much worse world if no-one helped anyone else if they felt able to.

I can't believe I missed that!!

I'm just getting so fucked off with this shit overall.

All these campaigns are "oooh if only someone had asked if they were ok". Like that stupid guilt trippy one at the football ground. It's always someone else's responsibility is the underlying message of these campaigns.

But that campaign by the Samaritans is another level. What on earth were they thinking?

This has actually enraged me like I've never felt before.

VitoCorleoneOfMNMafia

Thanks, would be interested to search the psychology behind that.

Exactly. Why doesn't she mention her concerns to the staff member instead of approaching the man herself?

She's wearing pearl earrings

willWillSmithsmith

But why are there two visually different versions of this woman in the first place?”

It’s a simply a method often employed in drama, etc. to represent internal dialogue because otherwise, some people simply wouldn’t understand.

There are various different versions of all of us.

I feel really sorry for any young and inexperienced woman, who watches that ad and takes it as a good social script. She won't necessarily know that asking about coffee is a popular chat-up line and liable to be interpreted as such!

I will look that up this evening when I get home.

To me, the problem doesn't arise from having a "frumpy" woman in an ad (I'm a proudly frumpy woman myself! I welcome less sexualised images of women in the media) It's the fact that they're equating that image with anxious, uptight, unkind, and ultimately making Wrong Descisions.

Yes but the woman can choose to do that. It can be as simple as distracting someone whilst talking about the weather - that’s all that’s needed to get someone to think about something else. It’s not about a woman being ‘sexy’ to get a man out of depression - it’s about helping others. You can, of course, also get a member of staff as well - but what do you think about a female staff member being able to help?

VitoCorleoneOfMNMafia · Today 13:58
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The suicide awareness training we had at work told us to actually ask if the person was considering suicide. Not ask where the coffee machine was”

Thats really interesting. Which organisation delivered it?
I’d find it fairly easy if I were concerned to ask the time or where the nearest cafe, etc was. I’m not sure I’d have the front to directly ask about suicide straight off the bat.

But why are there two visually different versions of this woman in the first place?

If anyone would like to complain here is where (if its not already mentioned)
https://www.asa.org.uk/make-a-complaint.html

Ive yet to read the whole tghread, but agree, 'prettied up' version of tick diversity box talks to him.
And yes, of course that sounds like a chat up line!
I think someone mentioned the lone girl and man issue which is why theyve bunged in a blurry station worker in the bg. thats that box ticked then.
Agree, why hasnt he gone and talked to the guy? hes standing there like an idiot.
Terrible, insensitive ad, I'd love to know the age group/sex of the creative team as this will have been a pretty good brief to get and I imagine they are thinking of the awards theyll get.
At least shes not a trans woman. Or showing off her double masectomy.

I'm surprised they didn't give the Not Cool Girl version of the woman some actual pearls to clutch.

I actually think this is a case of tunnel vision from the Samaritans. They are involved in suicide prevention, not anti-VAWG work, anti-harassment off men work etc etc. So they won't have considered the other implications.

But actually if you want to encourage people to look out for each other its better to actually engage with the reasons people don't (everything from embarrassment to personal safety fears) and think "how can we overcome these" rather than just wasting money on an advert.

Does the Advertising Standards Agency cover online ads?

MissLucyEyelesbarrow

“Oh come off it:
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Woman on our left: hair loose, leather jacket, red lipstick, confident body posture.
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Woman on our right: hair scraped back, cardigan, no make up, hunched over, using her bag as a barrier.
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Anyone who claims not to see a difference is being disingenuous.”

No they are not: not everyone judges what type of person someone is based on appearance! I certainly don’t describe women with tied back hair and no lipstick as “frumpy”. That stereotyping lies squarely with OP.

The suicide awareness training we had at work told us to actually ask if the person was considering suicide. Not ask where the coffee machine was.

Exactly this, emotional labour, red lipstick.

I actually have struck up conversations with people I felt worried about/had a funny feeling about. I still think this advert is stupid - of course we should look out for each other, but encouraging people to override their own instincts (and do it in a very silly way, why ask a man for coffee???) is stupid. e.g. if you see a domestic violence situation going on you would be encouraged to get help - that is also the advice given to men. Men on the whole have less situational awareness so actually an advert targeting them/asking them to pay attention would be useful.

But actually the whole thing is likely to backfire - you only need one instance of a woman doing what the advert suggests and getting hurt for the publicity to make women and men less likely to engage. Similar to how a while back there were a couple of cases of men intervening to tell of misbehaving teenagers and getting stabbed. This is still quoted as a reason not to get directly involved in instances by men I know (and fair enough really although I still don't think its an excuse to do nothing).