Stripping Off her Dignity With a Click
A growing number of social media companies are finding new annoying ways to increase the number of their Facebook fans. The latest Stüssy's new sportswear Facebook campaign “Strip for likes” has certainly crossed many limits, particularly the one of human dignity. Offering to strip a woman for likes is beyond words even though a few come to my mind: degrading, offending and sexist.
The campaign slogan line “That's all folks! If you want to see more, visit the store...” actually implies they are providing their customers with naked women. It is not only the main message that is failed. As Week article points out, they also failed to position as a brand: the campaign is focused only on half of their target group while it alienates the other half - women. Introducing a male stripper for likes (as the article suggests) would definitely not make it more balanced either. Unlike Amsterdam Ad Blog, I think there is nothing good or nice about this particular campaign. Applauding its ingeniousness or the fact that Stüssy is finally using Facebook in a creative way means celebrating violence and human indignity.
Seems that corporations got bored of "only" using sexualised images of women to sell their products. Now companies are literally stripping women to get the attention of potential customers. Stüssy's campaign "Strip for likes" is not only humiliating but also celebrates rape culture and the general notion that it is OK to objectify women in attempt to sell more clothes.
Violence against women is very closely connected to the level of respect society holds for women. Creating and supporting campaigns that objectify women or portray them in disrespectful ways (as Stüssy's new campaign undoubtedly does) means contributing to the big picture of overall degradation of women.
Besides, people reponsible for "Strip for likes" campaign are not really advertising the product. They are promoting the idea that it is OK to strip women and that now you can also do it on Facebook with their approaval and support. They might be forgetting that this very soon connects to the idea that it is OK to hit and rape them too. After all how would you respect a person or treat her as your equal when you can strip her with a click.
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