This isn't just sexism, this is M&S sexism

[PimmsnLemonade]

Marks and Spencer's window display. The 'must have' for men is "outfits to impress" , for women it's "fancy little knickers", Men must dress powerfully and impress in their suits, women must look sexy in their "little knickers".

twitter.com/FiLiA_charity/status/1064248341763100672

Are M & S being unreasonable? I think so.

What a load of knickers! Get a life!

Oh my goodness! I’m particularly amazed at the mn’ers who don’t see it as an issue!

It's ridiculous, where were M&S staff during #metoo.

Their advert appears on the side of MN pages sometimes- should it?

Hideously old fashioned, like the rest of the store.

There’s nothing wrong with sexy underwear, but the juxtaposition of the ‘dressed to impress’ for men, with undressed shop dummies in skimpy underwear for women in the same window is I think, unwise and presents like a caricature of sex stereotypes.

There's already a thread about this:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/3428370-To-be-livid-at-Marks-Spencers-sexism-Women-Must-Have-Fancy-Little-Knickers?msgid=82707286

Yeah, 8 don't see why they couldn't have had one window display on smart work wear for both men and women, and then a separate window with underwear for both sexes.

Absolute rubbish. That single case in Ireland is abhorrent. As a woman wearing skimpy knickers it abstemiously is not the norm - vile

I don't see how your claim that it's not the norm is supported by your underwear choices. Surely a study of the questioning used in a large number of rape trials would be more relevant?

As it happens, I'm pretty sure this is not a one-off. One of my female relations was attacked by a stranger in a very clear-cut case, but the man was acquitted. My mother never went into details, but from the first moment I was old enough to understand the concept of rape trials as a teenager, my mother used to tell me to dress as if my clothes would potentially be used on a stand. Up to and including underwear.

When will this madness stop.
Some women won’t be happy until we’re all walking around in long grey sacks.
Stop sucking the fun & frivolity out of life.
If you want something proper to worry about join the climate change protesters, do some volunteering with homeless people - anything other than moaning about this total non issue.

Really, stop getting het up about the is and the rape trial. It's Christmas and we all know we will be shopping in M and S.

Oh, look. There's a bandwagon to jump on.

Are you professionally offended or is it an amateur pursuit?

Surferjet, I volunteer, work full time and still manage to give a shot about blatant sexism. I'm very good at giving a shit about more than one thing at a time.

I won't be shopping at M&S again. I'm fed up of the message men do things, women are things. I'm fed up of my daughter seeing that message. And yes, the tape trial is very relevant. Because that is how a significant proportion of the population see women.

Oh, and I say this as a woman who does like nice underwear. Most of mine is bloody lovely, barely a saggy gusset or greying bra to be seen! As another poster said, it's about the way it's being advertised not the fact they are selling nice pants.

It looks like a reflection of a Rap Video, Men in suits, Women in underwear.

If the couldn't do equivalent fashion, they should have expanded Into accessories.

If you can't see how this links into everyday sexism, you need to expand your thinking.

I just cannot understand how company after company makes the same kind of mistake over and over again. I mean, are there NO women pitching for these campaigns, or presiding over the window themes?

Or maybe there are women and they can't speak up. Or maybe they're shouted down and talked over. Or maybe they know what they're doing and they don't care. Or they think the resulting scandal will be worth it.

And all the while, women are being raped and held accountable because they bought, and wore, those 'fancy little knickers'.

Fucking brilliant.

I like fancy pants sometimes when I'm inclined to wear them. I do not however want my husband buying them for me because it's been put in front of his face in an advert or window display that this is a gift women want. It's wrong in this day and age.

I think M&S needs a female CEO.

Naaah I don't mind about that thing too much as long as we are both presentable but sometimes I do

YANBU, it's utterly disgraceful. As are the women on here minimising it. Shame on them!!

Yep sexist all the way.....

Would anyone ever imagine a window display with ‘clothes for women to look powerful’ and ‘skinny, sexy underwear for men’?
I doubt so...

I’m particularly amazed at the mn’ers who don’t see it as an issue!

#Metoo

You'd get better responses in the Feminist board, OP, but everyday sexism should always be challenged.
Outright sexism starts with the little things. And sexism won't go away until the little things are dealt with.

Also, you'll be happier if you ignore surferjet.

One can only hope 2 teams designed the windows seperately without any thought as to what they’d look like next to each other.... Does look very similar to a 1950s ad: The Men do Men Work & The women dress for the men.

It's worse for women - the must have is about presenting yourselves as sexually available - but the display isn't great for men either...dress to impress meaning unless you're some power-player in a suit you're losing at something??
It's an old advertising trick of manufacturing a fake competition and getting people to try to win it. My favourite was the one about whose washing detergent capsule was the most concentrated (doubly funny as all the brands are owned by just 2 companies) - distracting entirely from any debate as t the merits of a capsule in the first place.

But, it seems we all fall for it every time. Women - if you're assured and successful, you're probably losing in the slut stakes. If you're all barbied up, you're probably losing on the brains front. Men - you need the power suit to prove yourself a proper man over the real men manual labourer types. Etc etc etc.