is this a sexist ad?

[jennywhitehorses]

I saw this ad in the beauty department of Boots. It seems to suggest that all women want is sexual attention from men in public whereas in reality women don't like it.

I think so.

Well, some women do. It’s certainly suggesting some women enjoy sexual attention, and the lack of subtlety does put me off the product. Not sure it’s sexist, though.

Symptom of the patriarchy innit?

Yes.... and weird. Wtf are the men wearing?

I don't think it's sexist, it's a product for women trying to show that it will increase your desirability (I'd guess).

I imagine a similar product for men would show similar (Just for men springs to mind with the hot woman running her hand through the newly dyed man's hair seductively)

Sex sells, if it didn't they marketing companies wouldn't use it.

I think it is. What was it advertising?

It's Snow White, which makes it bloody weird to start with. The 'dwarves' are the shirtless men.

At least the men are wearing fewer clothes than her. Small mercies.

Beyond sexist - it's harmful.

It's the new Benefit advert. Doesn't bother me.

It’s a make-up ad. One of the reasons women wear make-up is to look more attractive. This says that. 🤷🏻‍♀️

@MrsTerryPratchett

It's Snow White, which makes it bloody weird to start with. The 'dwarves' are the shirtless men.

At least the men are wearing fewer clothes than her. Small mercies.

I was thinking that's what it looked a bit like, except I could only see six 'dwarves' and what's with the palm trees?

My first thought was "bad am dram production of South Pacific."

I'm sure it's based on something else. An original artwork or something.

Which doesn't make it any less sexist!

Yabu for saying women don't want sexual attention. I've always quite enjoyed the reaction I get from men, and now I'm a wife and mum and don't get that attention as much, I kinda miss it.

But, that picture of creepy as fuck. It looks like snow white is about to be gang banged by the 7 dwarfs and is well up for it. Which is just gross male porn fantasy. The leering expressions are horrible and the number of them give off a rapey vibe. Very weird way to advertise female beauty products.

Do you think they're supposed to be sailors? That might account for the palm trees. Maybe French Polynesia?

No better and no worse than the ones depicting men as incompetent idiots, needing a woman to come along and show them how a toilet is cleaned

The clothing is very snow with and the 7 dwarves. Maybe an issue over copyright?

I think the person above who said it references something else is correct.

I don't think it's true that women don't like sexual attention from men. Maybe it would be better if that were so, but IME while some don't, others do, and that is behind a lot of the beauty advertising directed at women.

I am not crazy about the weird standards of the beauty industry and I think they push them in a direction that is negative. But they aren't really the cause of many women wanting men to find them attractive, that was probably true when we all lived in caves and there was no advertising industry.

it's a strange ad from a number of different angles, most of which has already been mentioned.

it's wierd, leery, bizzarre mix of sexual snow white (a kid's cartoon to me, the dinsney connection) and sailors.. it's just plain odd.

and no i wouldn't buy anything because of it.

Makes me think of the Lost Boys from Peter Pan

This ad is so weird.
Like a pin up version of Snow White, straight from the 50s in term of aesthetic.
Very unappealing to me, personally: vaguely sexist (or at least, excessively sexualised, in an unattractive goofy way), but also terribly old fashioned.
I'm really not sure who the advertisers thought they were targetting.

Benefit often do ‘retro’ pin up style branding so wondering if it’s more of a tongue in cheek pastiche of those old adverts rather than meant to be taken at face value?

Here are some others they’ve done in a similar vein:

I saw an ad for contact lenses once - Get Your Specs Off For The Boys".

" It seems to suggest that all women want is sexual attention from men in public whereas in reality women don't like it."

I don't think it does suggest that at all.

I) they're the 7 dwarves, they aren't in public, they live with Snow White.
Ii) not sure it's necessarily sexual attention, they look impressed true, but not sexual, maybe they are gay and they just like her make up.
Iii) women do like sexual attention from men in public and otherwise, they just don't like it from anyone when it's unwanted. Maybe Snow White wants sexual attention from her scantily clad dwarves.
Iv) it's a benefit add, so as pp said, they often go for a retro pin up girl style. It fits in with that.