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.

Posie

Lunchtime dresscode was t-shirt and shorts, as on the UK website. People were there to eat and it wasnt suggestive at all.

The visitors were small mixed groups, a larger all male group, and a couple of families with kids.

I took a look at the merchandising section and it was harmless stuff. They have been very careful with the kids clothing - it is completely non-sexual and focusses on owls.

We were there for the swapover from day to evening. The evening waitresses were more scantily clad and the place no longer felt family friendly. From what I could see it was a 50/50 mix of men and women, probably due to door policy.

As bars/clubs go it was pretty average. Nothing to get worked up about.

Oh yes. T-shirts and shorts, nothing suggestive at all.

well i can see how the whole owl thing makes a convenient marketing tool for aiming stuff at kids

that just makes the whole thing worse really

Thanks LeninGrad
You're right & I've fallen into this trap before on commenting on newspaper articles. I didn't really expect it on MN, tbh!

Thanks for your support earlier on as well. You asked a question about the process (asking for a link?) which I'll look into and I'll get back to you on that.

Just to be clear for anyone who may have wondered why I've mentioned M&S, we're not just targeting M&S in this campaign. Asking them not to support Hooters is only one route to try and stop this place from opening and we're doing this because the Ask Pizza chain in Sheffield decided that it didn't want to be associated with it.

There are many other avenues which we're looking at which I won't discuss on here but, if anyone is interested in knowing more about what's happening in Bristol, please pm me I can give you more info.

The Hooters Girl uniform consists of: White Hooters tank top, orange shorts, suntan hose, white socks, solid white shoes, brown Hooters pouch, name-tag and of course...a smile! The Hooters Girl uniform can not be changed or altered in any way. As well, the Hooters Girl uniform can not be sold to the public for any reason. There is no set requirement in order to be a nearly World Famous Hooters Girl! We look for the All-American Cheerleader / Surfer-Girl-Next-Door image to fill our restaurants. In other words...Very bubbly, outgoing personalities!

tank top...vest, low cut.

I wonder if M&S will withdraw from the "Let girls be girls" campaign, or say it's not related.

Since they didn't bother to cover up (even when it was clearly freezing) when doing the football tournament for young boys that I linked to earlier, I cannot believe that they are not trying to sell the same look during the day.

As I said Posie, you wont know till you experience it. Quoting from some dresscode manual counts for nothing really, but dont let me get in the way of a good illinformed rant :)

Ok ccpccp, please answer my question then - do you not feel events aimed at children should be done by being more covered up (even if only to avoid pneumonia) organisers? That's to say, if they were actually meant to be family entertainment vs a marketing exercise.

ccp Are you a woman? Just asking as I find it really hard to understand how any woman cannot care about this.

The ignorance on this thread just... astounds me. I've rarely felt so dissappointed with MN before. Very, very sad. And I don't know how to fight such blinkered self-sabotaging of womens rights. Just keep on trying I guess.

ccpccp - surely the issue isn't about how 'family friendly' the restaurant is during the day?

It's the fact that this establishment is positioned entirely on the objectification of women.

And the real issue here is that, by making it seem family-friendly during the day, it is trying to put forward a false impression about what this business is doing.

And you seem to be falling for their propaganda, which is very sad.

What worries me, is if they succeed in making the whole thing 'family-friendly', it will also be seen as less odious than lapdancing/strip clubs, so will be seen by the majority as more acceptable.

And how anyone can see this kind of business (from the way it appears on the high street to its business 'principles' on its website) as acceptable defeats me.

Use your brains those of you who don't think there's anything to make a fuss about.

This is not a bit of fun.

owl

owl with breasts on its face

owl with breasts on its face on a kids' t-shirt

owl with breasts on its face on a bib ffs!

No - they shouldnt have been at a kids football match. Who organised that one? PR stunt gone bad I think! Someone should have had a word with the team manager.

As for the unfortunate woman with the facial disfigurement, well she wouldnt get a job at Loreal either. Life isnt fair and never will be.

I'm pretty sure the person serving at the bar was a man Leningrad. Did they try and get jobs as waiters? If so they were cynically looking for the payout from employment tribunal, and that is more a reflection of our employment laws than anything else.

sethstarkaddersmum - whos to say sparkle is on your side? Put all the energy you want into making a difference, but remember that yours is just one opinion, and a dubiously informed one at that.

Why on earth is seth dubiously informed?!

Sorry sethstarkaddersmum - you didnt say sparkle was on your side, LeninGrad did. Ignore that comment.

Exactly the same email response as Posie from M&S :( have emailed a few councillors and my MP but still awaiting amresponse.

I am showing my ignorance here but does 'hooter' mean breasts? I am assuming so.

Uhm ccpccp, you do realise that (youth football) is not a once-off, right? If you don't believe me, do a search yourself with the terms "hooters" "youth football".

Another example here, with, conveniently, the reply I'd get if I try complaining to Hooters. Or do you mean to each individual football club? Since they organise some events (they being Hooters), that's not really possible.

Thanks for coming back though, I do appreciate that. It's just that I think you're being a tad naive as to what they are actually doing.

Yes, hooters mean breasts.

Bratnav, if you are waiting on Stephen Williams, it will be ages. I emailed him at the start of the election campaign and it took 6 weeks for a response . And even then, it was from one of his assistants who didn't answer the question. I emailed again and got a load of, 'he is very busy...' which am sure is true, but Kerry McCarthy, my previous MP had more constituents but managed to answer email promptly....

Rant over

Why shouldn't men apply for a job serving food? Why should they be rejected on the basis of their gender alone?

Ugly or male people can serve food too ... unless the POINT of the the venue is that pretty females serve the food....