BMW upset women over sexist ad
Author: Chris Barker
Published: 13 August 2008
German car giant BMW has inadvertently caused deep offence to the world’s female population. Well Germaine Greer-a-likes whose retina’s bulge every time imagery that in any way demeans women appears on their radars.Condemnation for the ad – that illustrates a not unattractive young lady reclining seductively, complete with the strapline ‘You know you’re not the first’ – has found widespread support, and not specifically contained to Greece, where the press ad first cropped up.The at times fragile, and assiduously tenuous relationship between cars and the way in which women are juxtaposed with them for the purposes of predominantly male-orientated advertising, has long been debated and regularly rears its sometimes ugly head.From women’s blogging networks in America – some of which will definitely resonate from Alabama – to ‘angry from Barnstaple’, snapshots of the world have united in voicing their collective disgust at such an affront to femininity, and the blatant advocating of a pretty face helping to sell a product.Accusations are flying hither and thither about the subject of the ad being ‘exploited as nothing more than a sex object’ through to the simplistic redress that it’s ‘marketing to men at its most lazy' - incidentally our favourite barb.Which seems a crying shame. Because if only such vitriolic detractors observed such a vaguely wanton image with a more humourous, throw-a-way mindset, rather than as a bone of contention we could all move on that much quicker.For anyone needing the message spelling out any more fulsomely than it already has been, ‘You know you’re not the first’ implies that anyone purchasing a used BMW – presumably just in Greece – has a fair understanding that what they’re buying has been conquered previously. But that when it looks this good, it really shouldn’t matter.Women’s lib groups may be up in arms and hastily arranging marches on various parliaments and general bra burning events - amid the clatter of broken china at impromptu WI meets, and their equivalents across the globe – but the point is their battle is already lost.
Any publicity – the more negative of connotation the better in many cases - means the intended target has almost certainly been hit. The nanosecond everyone sees it, gets riled by its content and inevitably starts yakking about it.Of course, what’s really getting the goat of those with arched eyebrows is the arguable claim that the ad is inextricably hinting that the lovely young woman is used goods. We can only think after getting paid a fistful of dollars for her time and face, she couldn’t give two hoots and is laughing all the way to the bank.Just like BMW will be. Well done world. Why not concentrate your efforts on proper sexploitation.
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