To promote an upcoming event by Zeid and the Wings, Radio Beirut – a local place that’s been promoting local acts such as OAK – has gotten Ukrainian feminist group Femen, famous for their topless protests, to help them. Of course, Femen don’t know yet and would probably sue if they knew.
A picture (link) which was originally intended to protest what Femen believe is a hockey-related injustice in Ukraine – don’t ask – has been photoshopped by Radio Beirut to advertise the aforementioned performance:
Isn’t it ironic that an organization against sexism would be the center of a sexist ad?
I am not one to have a seizure whenever activists find something to nitpick at in advertising, especially if the ad is smart enough. But this isn’t witty enough to pass. Well, women (and men?) – you can show your breasts and you’ll be spared from paying $10 to watch Zeid and his wings.
Does such an ad reflect the image of the local Lebanese band it’s promoting? I hope not. Is it right to use the bodies of women who are working against the discrimination of women around the world (the topless protests for Iranian women were organized by Femen) in order to promote something as trivial and nonsensical as a performance by a Lebanese band at some pub? The difference in magnitude of importance between what those protestors were originally doing and what they’ve been made to do is proof enough.
It doesn’t matter if you support what Femen does or not. This isn’t “art” in order to maybe explain it. What this “ad” comes off is cheap and absolutely uncalled for and I, for one, hope Radio Beirut remove it as soon as they can.
Filed under: Lebanon Tagged: Femen, Feminists, Lebanon, Radio Beirut, Sexism
