Shauna Cleary
Staff Writer
The recent Mondays at Alchemy “sexist” advertising scandal has brought to the forefront a previously thought of, yet unspoken, side to the Dublin clubbing scene. On the 18th of February, The University Times published an article regarding an advertisement campaign assumed by Midnight for their Monday event which featured the tagline “If you’re not up for it, don’t cum!” along with an image of a young woman reaching for her underwear which hung around her ankles. Following a series of exchanges on Facebook – including the formation of the “End Monday’s at Alchemy’s sexist and dangerous advertising” group – and a public apology from the Midnight company, the “battle” undertaken by a certain number of young students seems to have been won… or has it?
The reaction to the campaign was substantial, the online article has received almost 800 recommendations while roughly the same amount of Facebook users have joined the newly established group which has been posted with comments evocative enough to bring about a new feminist revolution in Dublin. However having observed the actions of both sides during this intense course of action, it appears to me that something significant has gone amiss during this entire campaign. Although I concur that the particular advertisement used was both misleading and clearly caused offence to both males and females who viewed it, I cannot help but notice an underlying air of hypocrisy to the whole movement. It seems to me that the 800 or so people who joined the online group have set double standards in terms of the clubs which are frequently attended in Dublin. If the campaign were to have any legitimacy, the incident with Midnight would spark a boycott of all clubs who employ sexist advertising, which, if we are to be honest with ourselves, is no insignificant number.
The fact that the Midnight brand chose to promote using such an extremely graphic image only highlights the already present “sex sells” myth which surrounds many, if not all of the clubs in Dublin and around the country. One of the popular events in Drumcondra the “Big Tree” has featured several nights with explicit taglines including “Dying for the ride in 2012,” “Those who are fussy get no pussy” and “If she’s not great, ride her mate.” Even the well-liked C U Next Tuesday event runs by the abbreviation C.U.N.T which in itself contains blatant connotations of female sexuality. A quick perusal of the guestlists to any of these club nights will reveal a large cross-section with the members of the anti-Alchemy group. And how can we forget our old friend Copper Face Jacks? Renowned for its edgy, sex-basically-guaranteed reputation, Coppers too engages in sex-based advertising with its slightly less explicit but still suggestive “Shifters Tuesdays.” This tagline is featured alongside a scantily clad woman in heels milking a cow, her bare legs extended. The reputation associated with the “Coppers experience” is the main selling point of their night, yet does it make it more acceptable for them to let people promote the club in this way through word of mouth than it is for Alchemy to use a suggestive picture in their advertising campaign?
There can be no doubt as to the underlying danger in these ads, in validating the objectification of women and possibly encouraging acts of sexual harassment, however i do not believe that this is the domain of just one club, but all clubs that engage in sexually suggestive advertising. In no way am I agreeing with the actions of any sort of sexually provocative advertising nor do I agree with the use of either gender to increase attendance for any sort of event. However I do feel that if one club is to be targeted and scrutinised under the eye of the media then surely a standard must be set for all clubs which engage in any sort of promotional activity, whether it be through the medium of posters or simply through a reputation encouraged by patrons and workers alike. I would bet any money that the majority of members in the anti-Alchemy group have attended, and still attend, these club nights despite the overtly – or otherwise- sexist advertising, often without even perceiving the underlying message of the ads themselves. Perhaps Alchemy crossed the line on this occasion, but we have to ask ourselves how we managed to let the line go this far in the first place. In light of this, any attempt to “End… sexist and dangerous advertising” at Monday’s at Alchemy should be extended to ending the sexist and dangerous advertising of all clubs.
