EasyJet Advert Literally objectifying women

[NotOffendedBut]

I saw this Easy Jet advert in the Metro this morning and it really pissed me off. I'm not flouncy offended by it but I think it is vile and carries a disgusting implied message. It shows a woman in a revealing swimming costume with a lampshade on her head like she is just a lamp.

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It literally makes a woman into an object - . It reminds me of those vile BDSM images where woman are gagged and bound up into tables for men to rest their feet on.

The fact that her head is covered but she is dressed in a revealling swimming costume also carries misgoynistic messages of putting a bag on her head.

I'm not a person easily bothered by stuff but I found this really quite unpleasant. I hate Easy Jet anyway so it's not like they've lost a customer in me.

That’s a revealing swimming costume? My grandmother had a more revealing one back in the day.

I think with regards to the advert it isn’t that bad

It's silly as is their tv advert. They won't get people who were formerly Thomas Cook customers with this kind of advertising.

YANBU. The response to this shouldn’t be “watch the advert, then it will make sense” the advertising hasn’t worked, it should be stand alone as pp have said. It doesn’t make sense and it’s weird and sexist. They wouldn’t have put a man with a lampshade on his head. Or if they had it would be comical rather than sexy so a totally different vibe.

TuttiCutie you don't have to take adverts as literal. I bet you think your xmas pudding has to be lit by a dragon too...

LochJess before the hide and seek explanation - what exactly did you take from the advert?

@PaneerofEvil your idea of sexy is different to mine, she’s stood stock still in a basic swimming costume.

@TuttiCutie I didn't understand the advert at all.
But not once did I think it was misogynistic/sexist/inappropriate etc I just thought it was a hella weird advert.

It's a shit advert that doesn't convey anything. But it's honestly not sexy, in fact it's incredible that they've managed to make a full-body image of an attractive women in a swimsuit unsexy, but somehow they've managed it.

(Thinking about it, I think it's because her head is hidden.The lampshade makes her too unreal to be interesting to someone who otherwise would be quite keen to do a bit of surreptitious objectifying.)

I don't find it offensive in the slightest!

It is literally objectifying women in that it is portraying a woman as an object, a lamp stand. Whether it's doing it in a misogynistic way depends on the interpretation.

Wow you’re being over sensitive😉

I haven't see the TV advert either and without the background knowledge the poster is appalling. It's the dictionary definition of objectifying women so you'd think someone in the advertising agency would have noticed.

@Booboostwo totally agree

and with @iismum here.

I don't think the fact that the context is better in the TV advert makes it ok. This is a stand alone advert; lots of people will see it who haven't seen the TV advert. To me it suggests that your perfect holiday would have a free, silent woman throw in. If it wasn't their intention to objectify women, they need to scrutinise their adverts better.

It really isn't an answer to say the TV advert explains it as hide and seek. I haven't seen the TV advert and it still doesn't make sense as hide and seek.

Why is that a perfect holiday with the silent woman with a lamp shade on her head?

To me it suggests that your perfect holiday would have a free, silent woman throw in Really? Do you really think that that is what people will assume?

I must be missing something. I am not a professionally offended person so I am struggling to understand what is offensive in a midogogistic manner... tedious perhaps bit deliberately anti-female... nope.

This ad is horrible, the woman is literally portrayed as an object. Yuk

Who cares.

Gotta love the misogyny of AIBU, eh.

A woman's body is standing in place of an object.

Nothing to see here, move along.

Who cares

Me for one.

& people who realise that the way women are routinely presented in the media and advertising does have a wider effect on what is seen as acceptable.

& people who think that it may not be the best thing for little girls to see imagery where a woman in a swimsuit is a substitute for a piece of furniture with her head covered.

I hate that advert, and first it looks like a 12y old girl in costume and shorts running around what’s I presume are famous landmarks of culture. Pointed on her way by grinning old men. But she has a tattoo on her arm so she can’t be a child!i just think it’s creepy.

HERE
m.youtube.com/watch?v=1tk1DyWpxEU

I have seen the ad many times and so that makes sense to me (its a pretty crap ad but that's by the by). However I agree with you that as a stand alone ad it makes zero sense at all and could easily make a person think wtf?

I am amazed at the naivety here. If any of you have studied graphic design/advertising you will know the implicit message here.

Of course the longer ad gives a back story SO that a print image seems innocent. Not all men will see it that way anymore than all women will but the intent behind it is clear.

There is a long and established history in advertising of deflecting the discourse/narrative/story around images but the end result is the perpetuation of the same old.

Excellent points, violinrosa.

I haven't seen the advert so as a stand alone photo ad, it is appalling.

I agree with the 'put a bag over her head' connotation that you mentioned in your OP.