Marks and Spencer support new 'Hooters' in Bristol

[JessinAvalon]

Dear all
This is my first post on here so I hope I am doing this right!

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".

Thanks everyone.

Tess thanks for the reply, I do understand your opinion, I just don't really agree! Men of all ages are always going to find sexually attractive women sexually attractive, I think I would prefer my sons to be comfortable with those feelings, rather than feeling that they are wrong or dirty for feeling the way nature has dictated to them. Of course, every human being should have to respect every other human being and we should all treat echother well. But I kind of think that that includes respecting a womans choice to work in a place like this.

I'm also going to confess that I had seen this thread in AIBU, but hadn't read until I clicked in the talk box on the right of my screen, so I didn't realise I was on the feminisim part of this site. If I had realised where I was, I would probably be less surprised at the strength of feeling of the responses to the OP.

Agree with the babygros thing though, I can't believe parents who would put their infant in one of those. I suspect they won't be as popular over here as they could be in the US.

Please don't attack me but i think everyone is going a bit mad over this one.
I work for M&S and I can't comment on decisions like this but I get totally fed up with people always feeling like they have a right to slate M&S.
No one is forcing any of you to go to a Hooters or forcing the women to work there. If you don't like it don't go!!
Personally I would rather stick needles in my eyes!!

Hi Curlymama,

I completely agree that men are always going to find sexually attractive women attractive. And vice versa. It would be mad to have a problem with that.

But places like Hooters commercialise this.

I see a difference between fancying someone, flirting, and enjoying seeing and meeting attractive people, and actually going to an establishment and paying to be served by waitresses deemed attractive by the management. This isn't normal boy-girl interaction - she is being paid to serve him food and know that he has chosen Hooters because it's a "breastaurant" (as they actually describe themselves, not kidding).

I don't like the way it segregates us into female servant and (mostly) male client. I don't think it's conductive to healthy relationships.

Yes, women choose to work there, but when it's minimum wage work, they are probably not beating off good job offers with a stick. I also think that women are more likely to want to work there if they have been raised in a culture that sees no harm in places like that and encourages them to value themselves as passive, uncomplaining sex-objects (see the employee manual someone quoted where they have to sign a disclaimer that they will put up with sleazy behaviour without complaint). But my argument isn't with the women who work there; it's with the men making money off them and the culture which enables this.

Oh and there are actually two threads, it started off in Feminism but then the OP put it in AIBU to get more responses. But the original Feminism thread is what made discussion of the day.

Charliebrownsmum, I think it's healthy to respond to what's going on around us and get a dialogue going. When issues are raised, people discover that other people think as they do, and realise that they don't have to roll over and accept anything. We have no absolute right to stop Hooters from spreading over this country, but why shouldn't we have our say and see what happens?

We do have a right to slate M&S. M&S would not exist without customers. We can and will say what we like about them. They can judge for themselves whether they consider it worthwhile to listen to us on this matter. Shops and other businesses are constantly responding to customer complaints - it's how to stay in business.

This is at the same time a depressing subject but heartening response I'm going to email but I haven't been on other thread but wondered if anyone has any kind of contact with Twiggy and the other spokespeople.
Do you think they would be on board so to speak.

at not having the right to slate M&S. It's a shop, why would it be above criticism?

I was a waitress part-time/full-time from the age of 13 to 22, and was lucky enough to work in places where the management were supportive, nice people who wanted all their staff to feel safe and respected at work. And yet despite this I and the other waitresses had to put up with men letching/ making inappropriate comments etc. You can't say anything because you are paid to serve these people, and you need the money. But I knew that if anyone got serious I would be able to go to my boss/barman and have the customer thrown out.

If I had had to work at somewhere like Hooters - and let's put the idea to rest that "choice" always exists, what if you need to pay the rent/other places aren't hiring/you are unqualified? - I would have found myself in a situation where the
management:
a)acknowledges that their workplace provides a proud and public forum for overt sexual harassment
b) marketed itself to customers on the basis that my breasts would be part of the service they offer, despite being ostensibly a restaurant not a sex bar
c)had no intention of intervening in the event that I was ogled/propositioned/catcalled/commented on while working.

It makes me feel sad that this is going to be what's on offer for girls all over the UK. If I had a DD I would worry about her going to work in such an environment.

OP and everyone else slating Hooters, have you actually even been to eat there??

no, there's one in this country, in nottingham where I have never been. But I don't have to eat there - thereby actually subsidising it, why would I want to give them my money? - to see that it's a chain that relies on the sexual attractiveness of its staff, and their willingness to put up with crass pervy behaviour from customers.

Here's my letter:

Dear Mr Rose,

I am writing in response to your company's decision to let a premises at Bristol Harbourside to Gallus Restaurants, where they intend to open a branch of Hooters, the self-proclaimed "breastaurant".

It is astonishing that Marks & Spencer is willing to jeopardise its reputation as an ethical business, and its loyal customer base of women and families, in this way. I presume you are aware that your company is facilitating an establishment that forces its - exclusively female - employees to sign a waiver stating that they: "acknowledge and affirm that the Hooters concept is based on female sex appeal, and that the work environment is one in which joking and innuendo based on female sex appeal is commonplace." It is clear that Hooters provides a proud and public forum for sexual harassment of the girls and women who work there, as well as creating an intimidating environment in the surrounding area - as acknowledged by the police in their objection to this plan. Please explain how this fits in with your company policy of "promot[ing] an environment free from discrimination, harassment and victimisation".

No doubt I will receive a stock response that indicates that this is a purely financial decision. One could argue that the use of sweatshops, and child workers by certain retailers is a purely financial decision too - nevertheless I am sure you would agree that it is the wrong decision. As is this one.

I hope you will reconsider Marks & Spencer's decision to give Hooters a platform from which to objectify and demean women.

In the mean time I feel that I have no option but to boycott Marks & Spencer, despite having been a loyal customer for many years, and I will be encouraging my friends and family to do the same.

banana87.....Do you ever get the feeling your stupid questions are being ignored?

I feel that I can criticise M&S for this when even a pizza chain decided it didn't want to be associated with Hooters.

And I don't need to visit to know that I will dislike a company which a USP of the breasts of its waitresses. I have enough research on this company to know that I find the whole concept abhorrent. It may be everywhere in the US and thus people may be desensitised to it there but here we are not yet.

Reviews I have seen of the Nottingham Hooters say that it's full of stag parties and football fans. The police are there with football fans most Saturdays. Also, going to watch a bikini contest with lots of leering men is not really my bag.

Here's what I wrote

Dear sir,

I thought you should know that your decision to lease your site to the company 'Hooters' is being discussed on top parenting website Mumsnet.
Mumsnet is the most popular parenting website and as you know, has millions of readers every week. It is an extremely influential website.
The discussion, 'M&S in cahoots with Hooters' has made the top of 'discussions of the day' list.
Here is a link so you can see for yourself.
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/1038867-Marks-and-Spencer-support-new-Hooters-in-Bristol

I hope any business you do with the company 'Hooters' is going to be more worthwhile to you financially than the bad press this decision is giving your company.
Yours sincerely

I'm always amazed at the acceptance of this sort of thing in the US along with casual swearing by children..jerk off, loser, jerk, crap, butt etc, but then puritanical attitudes to adults swearing.

Will e-mail M&S and have a moan. I don't like the 'normalisation' of it either. My town isn't on the list of new restaurants but now I have a DD I am pretty prudish about this sort of thing and would rather not have my DC's exposed to it.

I'm starting to lose track of who I'm meant to be boycotting at the moment .

Friend of mine works with Twiggy on occasion (can't say more don't want to out her).

From what I hear about Twiggy's general attitude to 'civilians' I doubt that she will care less about this - but I can contact my friend if you like and see?

I HAVE been in the Hooters in Nottingham (posted about it on the other thread) and found it a vile, threatening place to a lone woman.

Can't believe thinking women are not more outraged about the attempted normalisation and 'family friendliness' of female objectification!

Have just emailed our local MP a link to this thread, to alert him to the possibilities of this utterly vile chain trying to open in our town (one of the 36 on the list). About to email M+S in support of Bristolians.
Am deeply

Which Bristol MP is objecting? I was wondering about emailing them in support...and seeing if they can't get it into the press.

I am very sad about the response by some of my FB friends, seems many of the women see it as harmless.

Okay my town is on the list I'd better write to my Councillors and MP then, but unfortunately if it happens I think we can all guess which local business man will be in league with them.

The M&S food place is near casinos and bars, also very close to @bristol, imax and millenium square which is a family area....so they are looking for the family market.

have emailed too

I thought M&S refused to stock 'lads' mags' because they had some sense of justice and decency. It's one of the reasons I shop there

"I thought M&S refused to stock 'lads' mags' because they had some sense of justice and decency. "

No, it's because the margins aren't very good and their customer base doesn't buy them. It doesn't stop them selling The Sun.

There's always a sadness when you realise that "ethical values" are just another form of marketing, which appeals to the middle classes more than twofers. As soon as M&S find they can make more money from being unethical than they gain in footfall from being ethnical, that's what they'll do: their ethics are about money, their principles wafer thin. I wish it weren't like this, but it is.

Wait six months and John Lewis will be selling amateur porn DVDs in the electrical section, with a two year warranty.

Lenin - try Bubo.