"Calendar Girls" type calendar - am I being over sensitive?

[onepieceoflollipop]

Some (female) friends of mine, who happen to be in a group (think WI or similar) have produced a calendar girls type of calendar. It is of course very tasteful and in a good cause, to raise money for a local children's charity.

I do not intend to say anything in rl, as it will come across as critical and petty (or will be perceived as such). Obviously I wish them well in their fundraising attempts.

I just have an uncomfortable feeling about it. It is basically women removing their clothes (albeit "tastefully") so that men (and possibly other women) can pay to buy these pictures and look at their bodies. Perhaps I am being ridiculous here?

Any thoughts, didn't know where else to post this.

I am happy to give the charity the money, but not to have a calendar if that makes sense.

It's not like they're posing for playboy. And tbh I'd be interested to see the statistics of who buys these. I don't think they're really aimed at the male market specifically are they?

i do see your point. but i think the facts that it's for charity makes the taste aspect irrelevant tbh. lots of people do insane things for charity and if it raises teh money teh cahrity needs tehn why not. these womena aren't being forced into it. it is entiely their choice and they aren't exploiting themselves.

booyhoo I don't agree that it is always ok to do anything for charity. For example occasionally one sees women/nurses dressing up in "sexy" nurses' outfits to do a sponsored bed push or whatever. I don't like that either (for many reasons). That's obviously just one example.

I know, OP. Mainly I totally support this, it is usually "for a joke" and people enjoy making them as well as raising the money. But at the same time, it makes me uncomfortable to feel I am paying to look at other people's naked bodies. Call me old fashioned. Not really got an answer, just have to shut up and smile I suppose.

But I would say that the more wealth/power the people in the calendar have, and the more choice they have as to whether to go in it, the better. So for instance my old workplace did one of these (before my time) and I felt that some of the younger female employees might have felt they had to say yes to it, and were not best placed to find it still hanging around 5 years later. Whereas the French rugby team naked calendar seems better somehow as they are so ridiculously rich and privileged that they could easily say no (and I bet some do).

Thanks Elephants, that's helpful. The women concerned were all apparently very keen and willing volunteers, they are not profitting one penny themselves. They had many many more volunteers than they actually needed.

As I stated in my op I am not going to make a big deal of it, it just got me thinking.

I can understand your reservations OP, I feel the same discomfort. I spotted one advertised in the paper today - a charity one called "girls of ryanair" or something. It's just a bit bleurgh.

i didn't say it was OK to do anything for charity .

but i really don't think tastefully done nudes by a bunch of women who suggested the idea, went into it willingly and probably had a ball doing it is a bad thing. why is being naked such a bad thing?

and no-one is being forced to look at it. if you want to donate just do so but don't take teh calendar.

For me, I think it's just adding to the sheer bulk of naked lady pictures available in society. And where people wouldn't put up page 3s any more, they would still put up these. Sometimes it's just nice to see women with clothes on :)

I was forced to look at the ryanair one - they had taken out a large advert for it showing a "bikini-clad beauty" in the Independent of all places.

I don't like it either, onepieceoflollipop, and it's definitely become a trend. I'm not happy with women objectifying themselves even if it is for charity.

Sorry booyhoo, I misunderstood/misinterpreted your first post.

You definitely didn't say it was ok to do anything for charity. You did however state your opinion that if something is for charity then "the taste aspect is irrelevant" and that people do "insane" things for charity.

You are absolutely correct in that no one is forcing me to look at it or become involved in any way other than inviting me to buy a copy. I just wanted opinions on the feminism topic as I felt slightly uneasy about it.

It's not (for me anyway) an issue with nakedness per se, it is the use of women's bodies to sell things/raise money etc.

I am perfectly happy for people to voice opinions either agreeing or not or expressing their own feelings.

tab totty

FFS

at that ISNT

Whoops wrong thread!

Will take my outraged link to the other thread...

only slightly off topic on this thread though :) (although I only had a glance at the link)

It's a magazine by students at Cambridge, apparently they do pole dancing lessons for female students as well. Mind-boggling.

don't agree with it as it just adds to the background noise of objectification IYSWIM.
Also, it's been done to death and shows a shocking lack of imagination.

I find it a tough one too lollipop. I don't think it 'being for charity mate' removes responsibility for what is done. I don't go round tearing charity strip calenders of the shelves but it does sadden me that we live in a society where that is what women are expected to do for charity. It's all context. Of course there's nothing wrong with seeing naked bodies per se, but it's all context.

Thanks for all the comments, very helpful to find the general opinion on this.

I think there are some which are clearly fun, and not aimed at presenting women as sex objects for a male audience. The original WI one, which was mostly bought by women I suspect, falls into that category. Good clean fun IMO.
There are others which are just Zoo/Nuts material aimed at a leering male audience who are allowed to leer because it's for charity, and that's depressing. I'm going to leap to a prejudiced assumption that the Ryanair one falls into that category.
Not sure what line a good feminist should take on French rugby players though. If we say that it's ok for rich privileged people to do it, does that mean I'm allowed to gawp?

I think I would avoid the male ones too e.g. French rugby players as it is the same principle.

With the original calendar girls the idea was to cause a bit of a shock and therefore sell loads due to the novelty of the item.

with the subsequent calendars there is no shock value as people have seen it all before.
it is only shocking for those that know the "models"

So yes, in general terms the only reason to buy it is to have a look at the lbs of flesh on display or as a support for the cause it is contributing to.

I would suggest that you buy a calendar but then donate it back to them to resell

They have done with here with my friends dads as firemen with hoses for their bits lol. I have seen quite a few others for charity in other work places with naked men in. Whats the problem? Its just a laugh and raises money

I'm not sure how I feel about the calendar mentioned in the OP. It makes me feel a little uncomfortable because it seems to be a trendy thing to do now. My parents' local paper featured a similar one with local firemen a couple of weeks. At least it seems to be equal.

However, I did see that Ryanair calendar plastered on page 3 of The Observer on Sunday (I started a thread about it a few days ago). I thought that one was very inappropriate.