Cervical screening health promotion using Transgender model - counterproductive?

[LucieLemon]

My local healthcare trust is using a transgender model as part of their campaign to promote the cervical screening programme.

The campaign doesn't seem to be looking to target transgender men specifically but more as part of the general, wider health promotion.

I am for inclusion but not at the expense of the valuable message needing to be conveyed. I initially scrolled past this post as on face value I didn't pick up it's relevance to me as a woman. Surely this defeats the whole purpose of promoting the cervical screening programme? If using a transgender model perhaps it would be better to include that model alongside other women so it's more obvious what the actual subject matter is and who is being targeted?

@Noisyprat

No let’s not use a transman who is ‘known’. Most people don’t know any Transmen. Let’s keep it as simple as possible, that’s what these campaigns should be. Reach your target audience in the most efficient, simplest way that us understood by everyone. If we’re going to use 1 person then use a woman who looks late 40s/50s. Ok you could use someone well known like Davina or Trish Goddard.

If you are aiming an ad, not this ad, at the very small group of transitioned females who also need the message and are not on any lists you might. But no, not for this ad or any ad meant for the majority of women.

This ad? This ad is a red hot mess.

The photo does not match the text - to make the ad effective it needs to show a menopausal woman in her 50s.

X post

If you are aiming an ad, not this ad, at the very small group of transitioned females who also need the message and are not on any lists you might.

They're unlikely to want to be called "women". Which is of course the correct term as adult human female people, but it wouldn't be a choice likely to appeal to this group.

RedToothBrush

I expect to have some of our recent posters come and tell you that you are wrong (even though you are right). And there are many older transitioned females. They are friends with many.

Of course there will be very few, if any, stock images of older transitioned females. As you say… the invisible age of women.

Let’s see if you get a compelling rebuttal though?

I honestly wonder whether people will interpret the model as a boyfriend figure (yes, the hair is a bit OTT, but they have stubble

Yes I thought that too.

@HelloCrocus

I honestly wonder whether people will interpret the model as a boyfriend figure (yes, the hair is a bit OTT, but they have stubble), and take "I'm doing it for me" to be a rebuke to him, like "Take that, Daddy-O, I'm going to my smear test no matter what you say, because I'm worth it!".

Not many of us have 20 something boyfriends. The ad is aimed at me, but I would scroll on past as the picture is of a young man. Not because I fundamentally object to advertising to trans men, not at all. But because it wouldn’t catch my eye as it’s not me.

I suspect they have an ad campaign aimed at trans men and have just swapped out the text, clapping themselves on the back at how inclusive they are. Representation obviously doesn’t matter if you’re a Middle Age woman.

@Joolsin

Totally confusing. Was relieved and surprised to see the word 'women' in the small print, but the tag line and photo combine to make it utterly unclear what the ad is about and who it is aimed at. Stupid.

I thought the same

I tend to look at images first and if the advert looks like it is relevant to me then I’ll possibly read the text. This would completely pass me by as irrelevant and I’m in the target demographic.

If you want to avoid the confusion, you need images of BOTH a woman in her late 30s and a transman of a similar age, if you want to be inclusive and hit the right targets properly.

I saw this the other day which pissed me off too. I don't get it - are they seriously suggesting that people don't know which actual biological sex they are?

I mean, identify as a fucking green carrot if you like, but underneath your wacky hair you're either male or female, and you do know what that means for you medically.

This is so back to front. When you are targeting people to come forward for health related services, you need to look at the demographics of the people who aren't coming forward and use media they are familiar with to reach them. Which is almost certainly not going to be posters like this.

Bluntly, if say 60% of your registered population attend for cervical screening and your target is 80% this poster isn't going to help reach it.

On the other hand finding out that your missing population are zero hours contract workers or parents of young children and offering evening or weekend appointments might help. As could getting some influencers on board to reassure women that it's not as bad as they think it might be.

As could having enough phone lines available at your GP surgery so that you can actually book the sodding appointment even if you want to.

Would a middle aged woman from a minority background with English as a second language get this?

How many women from minority backgrounds with English as a second language do we have compared to transmen in the target age group?

Why would you use images of people in their late 30s Red? The target age is women aged 50-64.

@Cuck00soup

This is so back to front. When you are targeting people to come forward for health related services, you need to look at the demographics of the people who aren't coming forward and use media they are familiar with to reach them. Which is almost certainly not going to be posters like this.

Bluntly, if say 60% of your registered population attend for cervical screening and your target is 80% this poster isn't going to help reach it.

On the other hand finding out that your missing population are zero hours contract workers or parents of young children and offering evening or weekend appointments might help. As could getting some influencers on board to reassure women that it's not as bad as they think it might be.

As could having enough phone lines available at your GP surgery so that you can actually book the sodding appointment even if you want to.

This ^^

That would be a considered approach with a lot more chance of success (i.e. increase screening uptake)

What we have instead is an advert that is trying so hard to score inclusivity brownie points it actually appeals to no one!

@HelloCrocus

How completely random. Given the context (i.e. no mention of transgenderism), the average person is going to look at that, see a man, and be completely baffled.

I'm baffled for a different reason - that they've used good old-fashioned "woman" in the text despite the photo. I mean, I'm glad they did. But they're not going to please the genderists. Perhaps they're about to find that out.

Maybe they actually realised that if they put people with the picture, instead of women, there would be a queue of worried, confused men at the reception desk to deal with?

Surely if they are worried about trans men coming forward for screening then the advert should be explicit in this i.e the heading should be 'Trans men need cervical screening too'.

I wonder if anyone has done any research how trans people react to adverts. For example would a trans man read every advert like this with a man or do they know that they are biologically female and are therefore tuned to also look at adverts on health for women? ditto trans women.

Frankly they just need to create separate adverts women, men and trans people/non binary. The latter could show trans men and women and include a summary of the text from the adverts for women and men. Job done.

Quite frankly you would be better giving them all a ring personally. It would take less time and money!

Red - you have hit it on the nose.

I work in an industry where we do mass market, but we also do the sums, and for certain clients, we do indeed just ring them, because it's cheaper, more effective, and just all round better than trying to reach them as part of the general public.

What we have instead is an advert that is trying so hard to score inclusivity brownie points it actually appeals to no one!

I can make a case for disagreement if we separate out effectiveness from the notion of whether or not it actually appeals to anyone.

I've been startled by the growth of 'rep' (representation of diverse communities) book and film reviews. People ask about the 'rep' before deciding whether to read/watch. It's also quite nuanced as they want to know that 'rep' inclusion covers one of the main or substantial ancillary characters, it's not just the inclusion of Black or NB characters who don't move the story along. A different Bechdel Test, as it were.

This promotion might appeal to some people who are not in the target demographic. It might even gain an organisation points for a Stonewall WEI bump if they're seen to be doing this.

Again, I make no claims as to the effectiveness and can only point to the links posted upthread as an indicator of recent research and adjacent considerations.

At a first glance I thought it was a guy so would just ignore it

If they are looking to make sure transmen get screened it might be a reasonable approach, theoretically. Though the text might be a little unclear.

I am wondering if transmen aren't meant to be screened earlier as they may have become menopausal artificially?

At one time I'd have said that an ad directed to transmen should probably use the word female, but male and female now seem to be applied interchangeably as well. So to be really clear it seems like it would have to say something like "transmen need smears at such and such an age" if that is the target audience.

Menopause artificial or otherwise is not relevant.

Females who have a cervix and have been sexually active at some point during their lives should be screened every three years between the ages of 25 and 64 (although some argue for later).

@Cuck00soup

Menopause artificial or otherwise is not relevant.

Females who have a cervix and have been sexually active at some point during their lives should be screened every three years between the ages of 25 and 64 (although some argue for later).

If it's who they were directing the ad at it is relevent.

So to be really clear it seems like it would have to say something like "transmen need smears at such and such an age" if that is the target audience.

tbh, I have no idea if the presentation in the image is that of a transman or a male-presenting AFAB NB (some NBs have interventions) or a neutrois.

Why can’t campaigns aimed at middle aged women feature photographs of middle aged women? It’s just depressing.

A terrible combination of the urge to be on message for trans inclusivity and the urge to hide women away once they’re over a certain age.