Owl Pass on the Wings

Have you ever seen a Hooters commercial? Their slogan is "delightfully tacky yet unrefined". Perhaps "blatantly sexist and objectifying" would be a little more accurate slogan. From what I can ascertain you are likely not going to see a male server at Hooters. What you are going to see is a women, and their... assets. I never thought I'd be advocating for the Puritanesque uniforms of Bob Evans during the 1980's, but I am. I've eaten a Hooters once in my life. It was my senior year in high school and a female classmate had recently been hired at the downtown Cleveland location. While doing some record shopping in Cleveland my two mates suggested going to Hooters to have dinner because Tiffany was working there and she could "give us the hook up". Eating for less was always a practice I tried to be involved in, and given I was hungry and Hooters was close by I obliged. I did not know what I was in for.

We got to Hooters shortly thereafter and it didn't take me long to feel terrifically awkward and uncomfortable. As we entered the restaurant I quickly learned why the restaurant was named Hooters. It became apparent that their was a strict uniform policy and I was also able to surmise the company's hiring practices. As an eighteen year old male, I cannot say that there weren't a few physically appealing waitresses there, but I felt horrible. As we were shown to our table, I was rapidly losing my appetite. I just felt sad for the women working there. I was not judging them, but it just made me feel empathy for what they were doing to make a buck and likely what they faced in terms of the predominately male patrons and the male manager. their were being objectified and everyone knew it. I don't think I led a particularly innocent life, but I had never really seen sexism so blatantly portrayed in front of me. I kept thinking about a scenario where both of my sisters were working at Hooters and envisioned how they would likely be disrespected as part of their job; dealing with come-on's and innuendo shift-after-shift, day-after-day.

I ordered without looking up from my menu. I ate quietly staring intently at my plate. If I would have driven I would have left. I took most of my wings home. I couldn't eat. I was out of my element and I felt like a chauvinist just for sitting in the restaurant. I've never experienced a more uncomfortable meal and I have never eaten at a Hooters since. I hope most women wanting to work in the food service industry can make a good wage elsewhere and with a reasonable uniform.

What Exactly is Sex Selling?

Let us take a moment to look at a print ad outside of racism and explore sexism. It is no secret that the advertising industry has used human sexuality to sell any and every product under the sun, but this Dolce & Gabbana ad certainly takes things to another level; in particular it is difficult to ascertain what is being advertised other than the company itself. We can assume that it is jeans, shirts, and/or a dress, but the scene that the ad portrays is disturbing. When push comes to shove the ad looks like the beginnings of a gang rape. The women is completely in a position of submission and vulnerability. She is being pinned down by a muscular male, sans shirt, who seems to be lustfully leering at her through his sun glasses. Three other men stand around watching, seemingly captivated by the exercise of power and control of their supposed companion over the hapless woman. The most suggestive part of the entire advertisement is the positioning of the man’s hands over the woman’s wrist. This is a more than obvious position of power and is essentially the lynchpin that makes this ad feel so uncomfortable after you witness it.

This ad serves to deeply continue a long standing practice of objectifying women. Although rape is much more an act of power and control than sexual conquest, many people misinterpret the act as profoundly sexual in nature. This ad lucidly portrays both. The other aspect of the ad that seems like a small detail but is actually a very powerful, provocative gesture is that the women’s hips are thrust upward toward the male who lingers over her. This seems subtle, but if we look more deeply at body language and question what this is communicating it reflects a disturbing attitude. Although some might suggest that it is reflective of the women struggling to get away from the man who has pinned her down, from my vantage point it seems that the ad is attempting to communicate that the woman is a willing partner and that she is sexually stimulated by becoming subservient and dominated. I think this ad sends a deplorable message, particularly in terms of the bedroom-esque scene it portrays.

Stemming back to a decidedly puritanical views toward human sexuality, Americans are not having conversations about sex (or if they are they happening behind closed doors, only with a trusted friend or partner). In most of American culture sex is taboo. This leads to the conclusion that our thoughts and ideas about sex are learned through socialization by the mass media and that is why this seems to be such a dangerous vision of sexual behavior between men and woman.