This is wrong right?

[DukeOfSussex]

If your teenage daughter had her first week at the University of Sussex this week this is what found in her welcome bag.

A Pot Noodle, A tablet of washing detergent, a sim card and an individual sized portion of instant coffee.

AND

A picture of a woman designed to look like she has spunk dripping down her face to sell toothbrushes. "whether you spit or swallow during your twice daily oral regime..."

She'll also find a drinks night event by the Student union being advertised all over campus. It has a picture of a dead eyed half naked woman laying in an empty bath...which advertises what? Fuck knows.

She will also find a copy of the student newspaper in her bag. On the front cover at the very top of the page is an article entitled "Transphobia and toilets". This is discussing the recent words of University of Sussex philosophy professor Kathleen Stock who dared to very (politely) question some aspects of trans theory.

Your daughter, if disabled, will also be concerned to see that some of the disabled toilets have been declared "for all genders". Which is lovely and inclusive but not ideal if you're disabled and need a wee and need to wait for an able bodied non binary male wearing lipstick to go for a shit first.

She will find that the "This Sussex Girl Can" all women only classes are open to all "women, trans gender people and non binary individuals" so just mixed classes basically .

So far so expected of university in general but what upsets me is that people wanted Kathleen Stock's job for having an opinion. She caused students to feel "unsafe" with her very words, but in a world where women are literally unsafe and sexual assault is endemic in universities, Sussex student union didn't think twice before objectifying its female students. If your employer gave you a goody bag with this card in it you could rightfully be making a formal complaint to your HR department. Why is it appropriate for university?

We can't discuss why it's always a woman advertising drinks, or toothbrushes without discussing women and the group of people who actually deal with the real repercussions of being women. It's a bloody joke.Why don't people care about actual sexism, real life objectification of women.

If it's any comfort, Iused, I went to an all girls school and ime it seems to have equipped us with better "what the hell is wrong with you? fuck off" skills in regards to boys pushing boundaries than our peers who went to mixed schools. When you're used to an environment where there are no boys being sexist little turds and then you encounter some who are your first instinct is to wonder what's wrong with them rather than what's wrong with you that you don't like it.

"...we are sorry if this has in any way made you feel this way."

The classic sexist, racist shitbag apology from @Brushbox. Nice. Did you borrow that from the Sarah Huckabee Saunders' PR handbook?

'We're terrible people with sick values but we apologise if our actions make you feel bad'

This is so depressing. I feel lucky that I went to university in the late 90s and just missed the lads mag, pornification culture that crept into the mainstream in the early 2000s. Also, like AngryAttackKittens, I went to an all girls school so I had no fear of telling sexist shitbags to go to hell and call out sexism when I saw it.

I really fear for my daughter, I honestly do. She is only 3 but with a man suspected of attempted rape currently in the running for Supreme Court justice in the USA and this kind of garbage circulating to 75% of UK universities, I am beginning to despair of the future.

And women can't even speak about this stuff now without some TRA pouncing on any 'exclusionary' language and pointing out that transgender individuals are subjected to sexual abuse at 5,000 times the rate of 'cis'women, or whatever made-up statistic they're using that day.

And women can't even speak about this stuff now without some TRA pouncing on any 'exclusionary' language and pointing out that transgender individuals are subjected to sexual abuse at 5,000 times the rate of 'cis'women, or whatever made-up statistic they're using that day.

I wonder if we're mean to believe that applies to "transwomen" like BeardyAlex.

Has this hit Twitter yet? A nice social media storm might persuade the BrushBox bros to think their ad campaigns through a bit more in the future.

(Also, as others have asked, why would you need a monthly toothbrush delivery service, unless you're totally housebound? Toothbrushes of many varieties are available in every supermarket and chemists.)

"Toothbrush delivery service".

To be honest, in a thread that fills me with rage, that's a bit of light relief.

Students who are, in the main, struggling with mountains of debt - what they really need is to pay through the nose for a monthly delivery of a new toothbrush, rather than buy a pack of two for a quid down Tesco (other supermarkets are available).

And I really wish I'd seen a Dragon's Den pitch on this toothbrush delivery service idea.

@BrushboxUK, since you are watching this thread I will point this out to you directly.

In particular, there was never any suggestion or intention (consciously or unconsciously) to be derogatory towards women in any way shape or form, this is something we would never do and we are sorry if this has in any way made you feel this way.

It doesn't matter whether or not your intent was to be derogatory - the ad is derogatory. Saying "this is something we would never do" is rather silly when you have in fact just done it. Attempting to weasel out of it is doing nothing to strengthen your brand. If you are attempting to sell monthly plans that include brushes for children, who do you think is going to buy those? Mothers. How do you think a mother of a little girl will feel about your brand upon seeing that in a decade or so's time your plan for her little girl's nice healthy mouth is for it to be wrapped around some bloke's cock the moment she sets foot in her new university?

Normally I would be a bit more polite when communicating with a company, but if the visual language of porn is what you understand and trade in then fine, I'll use that instead. You know exactly what your ad implied. It's not edgy or clever, it's just sexist. Those ads were given out to girls as well as boys. You are aware that girls attend university, correct (as students, not just as the girlfriends of students sneaked into their rooms)? In what way is an image suggesting that the reason for them to brush their teeth regularly is that as girls their mouths will naturally be full of sperm multiple times a day the best way to promote tooth brushing and good oral health?

Thanks AAK. I think that's certainly true of DD1 and her friends so fingers crossed.
I also think Universities should do more to tackle unsafe drinking and the promotion of it at freshers week.
When DD1 went to the dentist after her first term away the hygienist spent her entire slot lecturing her about how to protect her teeth from stomach acid when she is sick in the morning. I was a bit by the end. I mean, ok, a brief mention but fifteen minutes worth?? I don't expect DD to be a teetotal paragon of virtue but we have talked about drinking and safety and I know she likes to stay safe and doesn't make a habit of being so slaughtered she is throwing up, passing out and not taking care of her teeth! So she really didn't need the lecture. Perhaps Brushbox would do better to promote to the boys using a male mouth dribbling vomit.

I used to drink a lot when I was younger, and only vomited twice. One of which times was after a family wedding (champagne doesn't agree with me), and neither of which was during university.

@BrushboxUK
Engage your brains! How can that image not be derogatory towards women? Honestly, are you not aware of issues of sexual harassment and sexual assault on campus? And you come up with an image which suggests a female mouth is a repository for semen? How is that not derogatory towards women?

And piss off with your non-apology ‘we are sorry that you are offended’ puts the onus for being offended; you should be sorry for not engaging your brains and CAUSING offence but also for contributing to an atmosphere where women are seen as sexualised and objectified.

From the page about their branding strategy.

One key point in the inception of the Brushbox brand was that it shouldn’t come across as corporate, clinical, preachy and pretentious or ‘hipster chic’; weighing more on the side of ‘gimmick’ than helpful lifestyle solution.

So the idea behind the ad aimed at students was to present tooth brushing as a helpful solution to the constantly cock-sucking lifestyle of female students?

Getting pissed off and venting only goes so far given that money is what companies actually care about, so a thought - who are BrushBox's rivals? Do any of them sell online? Because going and buying from them and making it clear why you've bought from them rather than BrushBox, possibly via a nice little Twitter or Instagram post, would be a great way of demonstrating the inadvisability of depicting women as ambulatory sex toys as a branding strategy.

Yup it's all over twitter. No replies from Sussex University, Dig In or Brushbox that I can see though!

I don't think there's a competitor, and normally I would support a company like BB as its a Welsh start up and god knows they need it. This is their first freshers and by heck have they got it wrong.

OK, a massive mistake can be forgiven if the response is a genuine, oh fuck, this is bad, we are wrong, here's a donation to a rape crisis centre, we have written to doc stock for a meeting etc.

But this response? This gaslighting, Mealy mouthed, passive aggressive fuck you?

People really have got to stop thinking that mothers are stupid.

This is so depressing. I feel lucky that I went to university in the late 90s and just missed the lads mag, pornification culture that crept into the mainstream in the early 2000s.

Yes me too.

If the response had been better I wouldn't be suggesting going full scorched earth.

And I really wish I'd seen a Dragon's Den pitch on this toothbrush delivery service idea.

Oh yes! I'd pay to see that!

Yes AAK I totally agree

I wonder if one of the Dragons backed them..... (please let it be one of the women an or one with teenage daughters)

I mean, to be fair, VC firms throw money at absurd start-up ideas all the time.

@DukeofSussex
Papers asking permission to use your pics
mobile.twitter.com/BrightonNewsJo/status/1042677958190817280
BBC news woman also asking about images
mobile.twitter.com/leng_cath/status/1042390444456521729
@BrushboxUK a platform is building for you to step the fuck up to and do the right thing.

OK, a massive mistake can be forgiven if the response is a genuine, oh fuck, this is bad, we are wrong, here's a donation to a rape crisis centre, we have written to doc stock for a meeting etc.

Yes, that would be brilliant. Why didn't they do that? Or to everyday sexism? @brushboxuk Why not show you actually wish you weren't part of the problem. It will cost you far less than whatever you paid to advertise in that shit digbox.

Would be a good opportunity for the university to do something around not treating women like a handy set of holes, using this example of crass objectification as a starting point and apologising to the female student body for this "welcome to university" message of get on your knees and open wide.

It would be interesting - if you were a psychologist type - which I'm not :D - to try and measure the effects of unexpectedly being given this image in a "welcome pack" for a new university or job or volunteering position or whatever (I suppose they set the scene somehow) - and see what effect it had on the comfort and confidence and so forth male students vs female.

My guess is it would have a similar / the same effect as all the other "minor" objectifications that we get in our faces >>

The men will feel bolstered, their needs are important, the place of women is confirmed, this place is "for them"
The women will feel, maybe subtly maybe overtly, reduced, less comfortable, less confident. I hate the word but it applies here - "disempowered". They have come to study and make friends including men as equals but NO your real job is to suck dick bitch.

I don't know if this has already been studied - probably.

Anyway it was a dick move and I suspect some of the male students will have been put off too as they aren't all neanderthal drunken bastards, in which case I suggest the men who run the company offer them all blow jobs to make up for it. Don't forget to brush your teeth afterwards, lads!

@babyteeth can you tell them I said yes, and point them to this thread please? If the thread could be linked for context that would be ideal as obviously many people don't know the full story for young women on campus.

Can you imagine being the model at that photo-shoot? I can make a guess what they were initially telling her the brief was.....'yeah, it's an ad for dental health.' Then you can imagine when she got there '...but we need you to be wearing lipstick and to open your mouth suggestively and have the toothpaste foam and saliva dribbling out of your mouth...'

Bet she was thrilled. And so the pornification runs through every layer of this sordid episode.

Papers asking permission to use your pics

I guess it's up to you OP if you want to test the accuracy of the adage "all publicity is good publicity" on Brushbox's behalf.