One more naked calendar for charity and I’ll scream

Twelve women from Sutherland have stripped naked for a calendar to raise money for a eight-year-old boy fighting cancer, according to the Irish Independent. The group of women included a staff nurse, a crofter, a lifeguard and a stay-at-home mother who were all ‘left left with a huge sense of achievement’ after having their nude photos taken. ‘We are so grateful for the support we’ve received from the local community. Brora’s a small village, but we all know each other and for these women to strip off in such a way just proves that we’re more than just neighbours, we’re family’ said the boy’s mother.

In the last month alone, women have stripped naked for charity calendars for Help for Heroes, Malaria, Ovarian Cancer Research, Prostate Cancer Research and Dogs for the Disabled, breast cancer, gynaecological cancers, Air Ambulances, a hospital children’s ward, renewable energy, a helpline providing support to isolated older people….. and the bizarre list goes on and on.

One of the many nude calendars raising money for breast cancer, Ladies of Long Boarding 2011 calendar, features some of the best female downhill speed skateboarders in the world. But are they actually skating in the calendar, showing off their cool skills? No of course not! They’re naked!

Why do so many women think that the only thing they can do to raise money for charity is to undress?

Lithuanian Company Plans to Open Holiday Resort -Staffed by Blonde Women Only

Lithuanian company Olialia (pronounced Oh-la-la) produce everything from computer software to food products, and operate in 75 different business sectors. The company’s net annual profit this year is expected to be around $10 m.

Olialia is now planning to open a resort in the Maldives – staffed entirely by blonde women. The rule of blonde staff members even apply to the crew on the flights bringing tourist to the island.

The planned resort will include hotels, entertainment, spa centres and, according to the Sydney Morning Herald, an ‘education centre’ entitled ‘Pretty Woman’, where female guests will be taught how to ‘always be perfect and look great’.

Although the blonde-only-rule breaks numerous rules on discrimination and enforces as many stereotypes, Managing Director Giedre Pukiene claims that this is far from the intention. She is hoping that the company will help break the stereotype that blonde women are less intelligent.

The company’s marketing strategy might however make that ambition difficult to fulfill, as, according to the BBC:

All the company’s products are advertised using images of sexy blonde women in improbably intellectual situations.

An ad for Olialia’s own-brand cola, for example, shows glamorous high-heeled blonde scientists concocting rather unlikely-looking laboratory experiments to make the drink.

Another ad shows a board meeting of blondes, who are applying make-up while discussing corporate strategy.

Illustration from bbc.co.uk

Illustration from smh.com.au

C & D Recycling Advertise Skip Hire with Sexist Ad

Another day, another sexist ad…..

Photo by feminist.ie

This one is so blatantly breaching the Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland‘ s Code, I’ve made a complaint about it, and I’m very curious as to whether they will pursue it or not this time.

These are the paragraphs I’ve highlighted in the complaint:

2.17 Marketing communications should respect the principle of the equality of men and women.They should avoid sex stereotyping and any exploitation or demeaning of men and women. (…)

2.19 Advertisers should take account of public sensitivities in the preparation and publicationof marketing communications and avoid the exploitation of sexuality and the use ofcoarseness and undesirable innuendo. (…)

If you would like to make a complaint about this or other ads, please click here for online complaint form.

Feminist.ie Meets a Genie in a Bottle

1. Non-transferable paternity leave.

2. End of all discrimination, and equality for all.

3. That someone walks in to the Ladies Room at the Nassau Street Porter House Pub in Dublin a Saturday night, inserts € 2 and starts straightening their leg/armpit hair.

Not Exactly Role Models of the Week: Czech MPs

The last general election in the Czech Republic resulted in the highest ever number of elected female MPs, with 44 women elected to the lower House of Parliament.

The good news were celebrated by……organising a sexy photo shoot and making a calendar.

We want to draw attention to the fact that we have women in politics

said MP Lenka Andrysova to the Telegraph.

I can think of a few things that might possibly work slightly better.

All of a sudden, it dawned on me….people will understand that I’m intelligent now that I’ve been elected. I was terrified this could mean that random old men wouldn’t have sexual fantasies about me any more, so I felt it was time to do something about it. Now that anyone can jerk off to my fab pictures (all they need to do to see me in my underwear is to spend a few quid on the calendar), I feel much more reassured, and I’m confident that this is a great way of introducing myself to the public and kick start my political career.

commented another of the MPs. (Well, strictly speaking that’s not entirely true, I might have made that up for the Hell of it)

Monkey Business at Educo Gym

Aaaaaa, masculine bulky muscles interfering with my weight loss! The anxiety!

On the positive side I suppose if I ever wanted to join a gym the list is now one gym shorter.

Sisters

I just found out that the Irish Times will be accompanied by the magazine  ‘Sisters’ tomorrow, with articles about the history of Irish feminism. Can’t wait!

I’m so excited I’m almost ready to forgive them for using this picture in an article about the make up trend ‘ über-nude’  aka

‘looking naturally fresh faced using “nude” shades of colour to improve on what Mother Nature gave you’

(as should be pretty obvious from the picture).

Airbrushing

A skinny model posing on the front page of Holland and Barrett’s magazine (with the fitting title ‘Healthy’) had to be  airbrushed to look ‘curvier and healthier’ for the pictures.