The worst cervical cancer campaign ever...

[PizzazzRoxyStorma]

...well isn't this one special?

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

There is definitely a perception that cervical cancer only happens to women who have been sexually active with many partners. So that's stigma.

But is there a stigma to attending a cervical screening appointment itself? Do women who decline to participate think it's shameful to attend, or do they simply believe their sexual history means the appointment is unnecessary?

I suspect it's the latter.

Things impacting take up that the campaign doesn’t address-

women not realising they have a cervix that needs checking- women not mentioned, fail.

Women not wanting the invasive procedure- no reassurance, just an instruction to open your legs- coercive and aggressive, fail.

Women feeling embarrassed about being exposed- no reassurance, just more reference to exposure, fail

Women considering themselves men so exempt- partial success if they think of heir cervix, but they don’t recognise themselves in the barbie legs so it probably is t about them- fail.

It’s just fail fail fail.

“Women! You need regular checks (unless your cervix has been removed). Ask how we can help!”

Adverts targeting non binary and transmen need posting somewhere they’ll be seen. Pink news. Queer clubs. Pride events.

That's actually extremely triggering to me as a rape survivor. It's objectifying and dehumanising

If there is a problem where some women feel cervical cancer is a consequence of bad actions or bad lifestyle and that stigma centres around sex, how does a campaign around the idea of opening your legs help?

The reason I haven't had my smear is because booking it is too much hassle to ring my GP to try and book something.

Make it easier to book / attend and numbers will go up.

How does this campaign help? I'm still not actually booking an appointment.

Yes and it reminds me of how horribly painful and intrusive smear tests are apart from giving the impression that we should have one so we can be sexually available

Well, quite.

A PP has quoted,this from research, "In one of the focus groups with women from ethnic minority backgrounds stigma and fatalism were discussed as contributing to poor knowledge about cervical cancer and screening"

Or did the campaign's devisers think they'd dealt with the inclusion of women, sorry, people from these backgrounds by including black and brown Barbie legs?

It doesn’t. As we keep saying, it is completely counterproductive to reaching that audience.

The only audience it seems to be acceptable to is an audience that doesn’t need the message this campaign is designed to reach. But still, those who don’t need this message are saying how great it is.

No, no, no.

Those legs up there, which are supposed to represent real women, are so vulnerable exposed in a public place, where anyone and everyone walking past, can see.

Precisely the opposite of how you want to feel when going for a smear.

Its not as if they havent been told time and time again after previous campaigns that the reason many women dont go is PAIN. They cant not know this after all this time
So the only conclusion is that they are wilfully ignoring womens pain. I used to think it was just oversight on their part. I dont any more.

Also to the PP who are arguing that the wording is to be inclusive of transmen and non binary females how are these pairs of ultrafeminised legs supposed to include them ?

Part of my problem if the entire concept of having to 'fix women who refuse to have smears' and the sheer difficulty of opting out if you want. It's really not easy or is ignored or is time limited etc etc.

'Women must be educated' as if they are stupid.

There's this whole element of women not being allowed to say no, as part of the language surrounding screening.

Women can't say they've made an informed choice.

Instead they are told they are being silly, petty embarrassed. And generally otherwise bullied and pressured etc to have a smear.

How many women go to the doctor for something else and then get harassed because their smear is 'overdue'. (Keep in mind GPs get paid a certain amount if they have a certain % of uptake - so there's a conflict of interest).

The element of trust is a huge one.

Using sexualised imagery and language to women who are making a decision not to have one is going to undermine trust - especially if these women have a history of abuse or mistrust of the paternalism of doctors.

It's a fundamental misunderstanding of the issue and it's the non engagement with the very people who don't have smears' that really annoys me.

Words get put into mouths by people who aren't listening and are only interested in forcing their agenda because their tick boxes surveys aren't asking the right questions in the right way in the first place.

It's quite clear from responses on this thread that there isn't any destigmatisation going on. The actual feedback women are giving is a mix of anger and 'eeeewwwww'. Why wasn't the material sent to an appropriate focus group because commissioning those horrific legs (at no small cost) and actively upsetting women?

As a rule there will always be a certain % who don't want them. They should be treated better.

Then you need to look at why our rates are lower than in other countries.

I'd argue that the level of poor care and treatment by the NHS, the ability to get a GP never mind an appointment, poor previous experiences due to attitudes from doctors across the NHS (for completely unrelated issues) probably are having a massive issue and the money wasted on shit campaigns like this would be better spent on basic staffing levels...

Using sexualised imagery and language to women who are making a decision not to have one is going to undermine trust - especially if these women have a history of abuse or mistrust of the paternalism of doctors.

I avoid them now. Never had a positive experience except one, from a female GP. I stopped going for this very reason. I don't need sneery commentary about me not being relaxed and making it difficult from someone who really couldn't be arsed about my background.

As someone who had abusive background, I struggle undressing even with supportive medics. That looks like an advert for the Moulin Rouge, not an encouragement for an intimate health check up

It seems to be a cancer research campaign, looking at the photo.

You're right. I don't expect I've ever donated to North West Cancer, so at least it's not my money. Presumably their donors do approve of this style of campaign.

I do some work in the area of screening, including cervical. You could possibly argue that there are some women who will be influenced by campaigns aimed at reducing stigma/embarrassment, perhaps those in the age group where you're going for your first one? So for example our social media stuff which tends to be aimed at younger women will be about not being embarrassed, that the sample takers do this every day, nothing to worry about etc.

Beyond that, non-engagement is much more likely to be related to trauma/pain or cultural issues, and jokey campaigns will get you nowhere. For trauma or pain you need specialist clinics with well trained staff who can take time to talk to individual women and work out how to make them more comfortable - sadly these are few and far between.

Cultural barriers - we work with community groups to run small peer led events, where women can get information and ask questions in a comfortable environment for them.

Both of these approaches work, but they're not quick or cheap. This campaign is the exact opposite of what works with those demographics.

Plus mashing in gender identity issues in the middle of it all just confuses everyone whose literacy or English isn't perfect. Again, we target that group by working with their support organisations to create resources just for them, rather than making our general resources into word salad

I'm not in England but it surprises me how pushy it all sounds there - we've been told to avoid any sense of "should" or "must" because screening has risks as well as benefits.

Obviously you have some issues that you are projecting.

I used the word ‘men’ once and not even in a positive way.

It’s hard to have a proper discussion about something if you keep projecting your bias.

All I said was that some men with misogynistic views (or women) may get offended but who cares.

That last post there @Night409 is a brilliant example of how the pro-this kind of thing camp simply dismiss women who have objections.

You’re just projecting and too irrational to engage with. (Silly women)

You’re just embarrassed and need to get over this silliness. Spread your legs; it’s empowering.

You’re just misinformed or too stupid to understand the benefits. Just do as you’re told - we know best.

At no point are women’s concerns or experiences being taken seriously.

Whereas in the real world, going for a smear test is undignified and uncomfortable (even painful).

There’s a wait for results - when the whole thing is framed as ‘you might have cancer; better check’.

Quite often those results can require a trip to the colposcopy clinic, which is even more likely to create anxiety and may result in treatments that is uncomfortable and undignified. Plus additional screening.

This may happen repeatedly because of a positive HPV result.

Meanwhile, all the messaging around it feels dismissive and coercive. It doesn’t feel like an opt-in thing. It feels like a summons and multiple tellings off to make you comply.

Men simply do not get treated this way by the NHS.

Do people think the messages around testicular and prostate cancer are wrong too?

They’re all quite risqué too but surely it’s just taking the stigma out of it.
Which is the same with this campaign.

@Night409 And have any of those been displayed in a railway station?

Those campaigns tell men to check their OWN balls They are not telling men to attend a clinic to have a scrape under the foreskin. Its not equivilant

Ahhh yes I must be a good little woman and submit to your demands.

I must not speak up or have my own opinion.

I must be wrong and you must be right.

I am a silly woman, irrational, misinformed, stupid - great choice of words.

And they say misogyny is not an issue anymore 🙄

You are just parroting buzzwords now.

You have brought up how men may respond to this campaign at least twice. You have cited your certainty that they will dislike the campaign as a positive twice. Each time, you have done this, to distract the conversation from how

women feel about the campaign.

Every single time, you have posted as if upsetting women is worth it, if it upsets men. ( I doubt it upsets men at all.)

How men feel about the campaign is irrelevant, except as how it impacts on their behaviour to # women. (I suspect negatively. That means they will be more likely to sexually harass women on the train.)

This is cancer of a female bodypart, so the target audience is: women.

Women's feelings inherently matter even if it will never impact on men in any way, because women have value. Why? Because we are human beings.

Women and their emotions are not simply tools to use to get at men. Stop bringing up male responses to this ad as if they matter more than how women respond to it! Centre women in our own healthcare!