The worst cervical cancer campaign ever...

[PizzazzRoxyStorma]

...well isn't this one special?

https://x.com/northwestcancer/status/1724378139059503400?s=46&t=FvzNePXGikWIJeOA86F8cg

You're missing the point, ScreamEggs. They don't know they have a cervix, they do know they are women - so the campaign needs to say 'this is for women', not 'this is for people with a cervix'. So the inclusion or not of the word women is exactly the problem.

Women with vaginismus, those who have had bad experiences with smear tests, those who have survived sexual assault, those who come from a religious background or culture… I mean, what the heck? Not inclusive. It looks like a promo for a Lovely Legs competition on a seaside resort in the 1970s. It’s nudge, nudge, wink wink. Ooh saucy. Well let’s have a picture of a load of peaches lined up for a prostate awareness campaign, with a couple of clinking pint glasses and the message: Bottoms up, people! Keep everything peachy and give prostate cancer the finger!

No woman who is traumatised by a smear or is reluctant to have one because of a myriad of reasons, is going to be swayed by a jaunty, jokey, risqué advertising sountbite.

It's not beer, ffs.

I don't think I've ever seen a smear test campaign that wasn't trying to guilt and shame women into going, or just plain grim. I don't know who they get to do the marketing but they're all shit.

Note to any Campaign Managers reading this thread - Test your idea out on Mumsnet first, before you commit any money to it. We'll let you know what women think of it!

‘Mostly affects women and people with cervixes’…

How would people who don’t have cervixes get cervical cancer? The wording is ludicrous.

Cervical cancer only affects female people. Not mostly affects. Only affects them.

The problem with stupid and over complex wording is that it inevitably does muddy the message. The people who most need the message are often the ones most disadvantaged by the message being relayed in EDI-speak.

Barriers to cervical screening among older women from hard-to-reach groups: a qualitative study in England (2019)

Barriers to cervical cancer screening among ethnic minority women: a qualitative study (2015)

Barriers to cervical cancer screening attendance in England: a population-based survey (2009)

Barriers to cervical screening and interest in self-sampling among women who actively decline screening (2018)

There’s been research into why women - including women from the target demographic of this campaign - don’t attend cervical screening. This (frankly quite grotesque & likely to add to the sexual harassment of women & girls) campaign does exactly nothing to address any of the issues raised.

There’s no use talking about people criticising the campaign here & social media being “awareness raising” if the target demographic have not engaged with the weirdly sexualised advert; & on this discussion being what reaches them, the result is that they are horrified & decide not to attend a screening 🤦🏻‍♀️

(NB None of the above papers look specifically at NW England, but are still - especially the first two - highly relevant.)

Absolutely.

The mostly affects women or people with cervixes wording is especially confusing for women who don’t know they have a cervix.

It creates this idea that having a cervix is separate from being a woman, which serves the TRA agenda but disadvantages the 50% of women who know they’re women but don’t know what a cervix is.

The infuriating thing is that the female people who don’t want to be called women (a) tend to know full well that they are biologically female and (b) are more likely than the average women to know the anatomical names for the female reproductive system. That is, of course, why they’re so keen on ‘people with cervixes’ as an alternative even if it causes enormous problems to a whole range of people whose type of vulnerability just isn’t very fashionable.

How about a campaign which featured some of the HCPs who perform the test?

If you featured the people who have taken my smear over the last couple of decades it would be a truly varied group of female nurses of different ages, backgrounds and nationalities.

I think seeing women like them would be reassuring to potential patients. As would be hearing their tips for making it easier and hearing their own experiences of being the patient. A combination of humanising the experience, but also reminding us it is routine and mundane for them. They see a lot of bodies. And above all women need to know they can be in control of the experience. Their consent will be continually sought, everything will be explained, the nurse will female and nobody else will walk in.

The ‘uncross your legs’ is suggesting women are prudish. ‘Can’t you Just keep your legs crossed’ is an insult used against women who have sex.

Uncross your legs is an instruction to be less prudish.

It's painful not embarrassing. Change the test and watch the numbers soar

The strapline reminds me of something I've heard used frequently to be critical of women who have more than the average amount of children. "She should learn to keep her legs closed"

Since it only tests for HPV in the first instance I don't understand why women aren't offered the option of a self HPV test.
There would then be more time to spend with any women who were asked back for a full smear or any women who weren't comfortable with the DIY option.

After a hideous experience with a gynecologist, I haven't felt able to go for a smear though have paid for a self hpv test which is a simple swab.

There are things that would reassure me. Hearing more detail about the service and what they will do to ensure that the woman having the smear is comfortable would be high on the list.
On a really personal level, seeing a photo of the staff would also help.
Being given options like inserting the speculum myself would also be something that might make me more likely to go. (This is always the bit that's been awful).

I don’t see an issue with this.

Anything that promotes and normalises smear tests is good in my eyes.

This is meant to be empowering, as women are told to keep their legs closed.

If this shocks or upsets the poor men, then good it’s obviously doing it’s job.

Yes - this is a great idea!

Yes. More education.

In the meantime, language such as this “Cervical cancer is a cancer that’s found anywhere in the cervix and mostly affects women and people with cervixes under the age of 45” is rather confusing. So, what other people
have cervixes that are not female? Remember, this is supposed to be plain English so the maximum of women can understand that this is aimed at them.

I suggest you read this press release thinking about the people who don’t understand they have a cervix. Because, this really is a confusing piece of communication. But yes, education is needed.

AND in the meantime, clear communication. So you are quite wrong in that the issue in your positioning this as not a language and communication issue, which I can only assume you are trying to do.

And again, this thread is about that signage.

I agree it definitely muddies the message.

Many of us can work out what they mean, but not every woman has that ability.

Just stick to the point.

How is this ‘empowering’?

How does it normalise anything?

How does this upset men?

This feels like the standard logic of ‘sex positive feminism’. As does the implication that objecting to the ‘open your legs’ message is somehow unfeminist.

Empowering? Fucking hell.

‘Mostly affects women and people with cervixes’…

How would people who don’t have cervixes get cervical cancer? The wording is ludicrous

Trans men have cervixes, hence the wording women and people with cervixes.
Even if they don't see themselves as women, I think it's important that they feel they are seen too as they'll still be in need of a smear.
Why alienate or dismiss someone when women and trans men both need one!
Women and people with cervixes ( trans men) it speaks to both there.

How about a campaign which featured some of the HCPs who perform the test?
If you featured the people who have taken my smear over the last couple of decades it would be a truly varied group of female nurses of different ages, backgrounds and nationalities
I think seeing women like them would be reassuring to potential patients. As would be hearing their tips for making it easier and hearing their own experiences of being the patient. A combination of humanising the experience, but also reminding us it is routine and mundane for them. They see a lot of bodies. And above all women need to know they can be in control of the experience

yes agree with this, I think that would be a great campaign.
Normalise the experience and show it's just another mundane medical thing to just get over and done with (that's how I see mine when mine's due)

Because men love to tell women to close their legs.

Now as women we are telling other women to open them.

I’m sure many men will be offended by it but who cares.
We can open and close them whenever we want.

Now as women we are telling other women to open them.

I don’t think you understand what the word “empowering” means. Hint: it is not a synonym for coercive.

I don’t think you understood my point at all.

Number of women who will see that advert and decide to get a smear test because of it: zero.

Number of men who’ll see that advert and fantasise about forcing a woman to spread the legs she’s trying to keep crossed: thousands.

Fucking offensive to women and promotes sexual violence.

Really grim and clearly dreamed up by an all-male team who find the idea of encouraging us to open our legs really funny. Also, chaps, for future reference: women’s naked feet don’t tend to look as if they’ve just slipped out of stilettos.

Why would someone expressing an opinion different to yours make you feel shamed? The only people attempting to shame on this thread are the ones who start sneering "cool girls" every time someone expresses an opinion counter to their own. The whole "no debate" thing was a TRA device aimed at shutting women up - its not aspirational.