Marks and Spencer support new 'Hooters' in Bristol

[JessinAvalon]

Dear all
(I've posted this under the feminism list but it's been suggested that I post it here as well.)

I live in Bristol and, last week, 'Hooters' was granted a licence to open in the city centre. The site is virtually opposite 3 apartment blocks, the lower floors of which are social housing and children are living in them.

What's most disappointing is that Marks and Spencer are leasing the site to 'Hooters'. They have been e-mailed by many concerned people to ask if they will reconsider leasing the building but they have just replied saying it is a "commercial decision" (as if that makes it ok!). In Sheffield, a 'Hooters' didn't even make it to application stage because the developer (Ask Pizza) realised that it would be better not to be associated with a company like 'Hooters'.

Marks and Spencer don't seem that concerned, however. Although they have signed up to the "Let Girls Be Girls" Mumsnet campaign they are not concerned about a company which sells merchandise including babygros which say "Future Hooters Girl" and "Does my butt look big in this?"

I have written to Marks and Spencer telling them that I won't be shopping in their stores again. If you feel strongly about this, please e-mail:

[email protected].

'Hooters' tries to sell itself as a family friendly restaurant but it is anything but. The Hooters in Nottingham attracts mainly stag parties and football fans. Hooters Girls take part in bikini contests and iced wet t-shirt competitions (the t-shirts are put in the freezers before the girls wear them). 'Hooters' has links to Playboy magazine....I could go on.....

I think Marks and Spencer should be shamed for facilitating this company's expansion into Bristol. They are selling women and girls down the river by leasing to this company and all just to make a "quick buck". As one former customer said to them, being a hitman is a "commercial decision" but it doesn't make it right!

Thanks everyone.

We have a petition here which we set up and a blog here which is recording articles etc and news on the Bristol Hooters.

But it still mainstreams a pay-to-letch venue, and expects no one to turn a hair at introducing their children to a place whose employees are expected to take sexual abuse as part of their job description.

So what if the children themselves aren't expected to join in with the abuse. Would you buy your children a magazine called 'Nuts for Kiddies' with pictures of revealingly dressed women and adverts for tha adult version, on the grounds that it also had some kiddie stuff too?

(my last was to ccpccp)

course I bloody haven't been there, and am not about to.

Not been there either then Posie?

rofl @ the people who think 'have you actually been there?' is a good argument. It's about as good as 'But that employee handbook was from 2006!'

Hooters makes no secret of what they are about. The clue is in the name for a start.

That much is apparent, sethstarkaddersmum.

Suggest you dont post with such conviction if you dont know what you are talking about

The argument about not having been there is a bit misleading.

There are lots of things I don't have to try to know I won't like - I wouldn't like having my house burgled, I wouldn't like to be mugged, I wouldn't like to read 'Nuts' magazine.

To me, this is a live 'Nuts'/'Zoo' magazine with some food on the side.

I'm sure that most men wouldn't enjoy going for a meal at a place where their girlfriends/wives would be ogling hot men in tight little shorts that show off the size of their manhoods. I'm sure most men wouldn't enjoy going to a place where they do swimsuit competitions for men.

We don't ask them if they would just try it! It seems ridiculous to ask men to try these things first yet women are just expected to go along with these things.

TBH JessinAvalon, if you are going to promote online petitions fighting against Hooters, the very fuking least you should have done is pay the place a visit.

As I said above, I don't need to waste my time or money taking a trip to Nottingham to visit a place that the very concept of is abhorrent to me.

I've never been a prostitute or been on benefits but I still have an opinion. And A friend of mine was served, with her dd, by waitresses in bikinis...I'd like to think that I can imagine what that looks like.

ccpccp....shall we ensure that all of your opinions are equipped with actual personal experience?

I'm not sure how to say this without offending, but some of the attitudes displayed here by people who visited since they were children is exactly why I would never allow ds (or any subsequent children) to visit this kind of set-up.

I do not want my children growing up thinking this is healthy fun. It is not.

"ccpccp....shall we ensure that all of your opinions are equipped with actual personal experience?"

Nope, but in this case they are.

"I don't need to waste my time or money taking a trip to Nottingham to visit a place that the very concept of is abhorrent to me"

Then be honest about it, and dont sell this whole petition thing as not family friendly/protecting children in social housing/breaking employment law.

Ccpccp do you go around telling lifelong vegetarians they have no basis for thinking eating meat is wrong because they've never tried it?

There is plenty to object to just here.

Or do you perhaps believe this is not the real Hooters website but a fake one that has been put there by enemies to discredit the entirely innocent Hooters brand which is actually all about owls? Cos that is the only way your argument would make sense!

I do if those vegetarians have been badly informed sethstarkaddersmum.

And most vegetarians I see arent trying to get restaurants they will never visit shut down for the sake of some vegetarian dogma.

Thats the US website BTW. Try the .co.uk one which should reflect the uk branding of the franchise.

No - hooters isnt about owls.

The UK has a different site, but it's hardly a different presentation or message - still emphasises the (scantily clad) women.

As far as I can tell, and I spent a good part of the last 2 weeks researching this company and its application in Bristol, the only UK Hooters is even worse than the US Hooters.

In answer to your question CCPCPP, I have no intention of visiting Hooters. Honestly, I cannot see how visiting it will change my mind that it is exploitative and that it objectifies women - and that's not just bad for the women who work there but for all women.

I take your point about trying things first but, as I said, I fundamentally disagree with the concept of the place so no visit is likely to change my mind. From what I can see from the research I've done, the Hooters in Nottingham is one of the last places I would ever want to visit. Would you respect my opinion more if I had visited and then said I absolutely hated it?

As I said before, I honestly don't believe that, in this case, a visit is going to change my mind. I have bought 'Nuts' before to have a look and I found it disturbing. But even without buying it, the covers are enough to be incredibly offensive and I was offended by these magazines and campaigned for them not to be on the lower shelves in shops before I'd parted with money for them.

Even if I don't visit a Hooters ever, I will no doubt get the brand 'shoved' in my face now whether I like it or not. I will see it when I walk past it, there will be associated advertising, girls recruiting for Hooters waitresses have been trawling the streets of Bristol. It's not a case of ignore it because it won't affect me. It's the impact that this kind of place has on women everywhere that I object to.

What do you say to those people who have been and who do find it objectionable? Could you explain why you find it so harmless?

Now I am no prude and don't get offended easily at all, but even I can see this is an utter piss take to aim it as families.

What normal, level headed parent thinks right ok, family day out, where to go, I know Hooters. Why just why would anyone want to be seen dead there with their children is beyond me. The fact they have played the family card is wrong really.

ccpccp - this is the "school girl" photo I mentioned earlier. It's from the Nottingham site, not US. (top left)

I know it's the US one. The UK one also has pictures of women in tight t-shirts and hotpants. And your point is?

Looking at those pictures it sure is more about breast size than looks!

I'm truly alarmed at the amount of my friends that are rather 'meh' to many feminist issues.

I live in Bristol and in utter support of JessinAvalon's campaign - in truth I don't really give a sod about somewhere like that, would be pretty peeved if dh went there but I'm not naive to tha fact that places like this exist and do a good trade.

HOWEVER, for all those picking for a fight by claiming the OP doesn't know because she hasn't been there is just juvenile and pointless. The issue here is that they have located a hooters where some of the most popular family attractions in Bristol as also sited. The educational science museum, @Bristol, the Blue Reef Aquarium and where all major Bristol festivals are held. Yes it's not a lapdancing clubs, pole dancing etc but it's place where women are hired on looks and breast size, hold bikini competitions etc and you can argue til you are blue in the face that there is no sexual activity, it has facilities for families etc but let's get real. It's a stag do, blokes night destination and does nothing to enhance families at all.

There are plenty of other locations in Bristol (such as Old Market) that are not targeting the family audience and if blokes do have to go to somehwere so tacky, send 'em there. But leave the beautiful heart of this town alone!

ccpccp with respect why the hell would I want to take my girls to a place that might as well be called 'Tits'?