[Humour] It’s not for girls…

[Zeberdi]

Certainly don’t think it’s offensive other than being a brain dead, stereotyping, badly made ad (mildly funny in that some ad exec convinced Nestles (or was it Rowntree?) that spending thousands marketing their non-gender specific product as being only suitable for men or butch women was a good idea )

At least we’ve moved on from this

Although still missing the mark decades later …

2009

2020

Ps - there’s no poll option for ‘It’s harmless and it’s not funny’

 

[Stat Brother]

I always enjoy people being amazed / furious when showing younger people who didn’t grow up in the context of the time something only to be met with “well that was cringeworthy”.

And by “enjoy” I mean “am bored by how much of our discourse is taken up by this shite”.

On the wireless at work, the ultra happy idiot hyping up his audience was doing a Fall Guy skit.
Me and other old fella said 'yeah but Lee Majors isn't why we remember that now'.

Yoof asked so what is the reason.

In unison "Heather Lockyear in a bikini".

During break yoof was seriously unimpressed by The Fall Guy opening credits, until the penny dropped.
"Was that like porn for you".

"Like porn...


... THAT WAS PORN, that was even better than 'woods porn' " - at that point I lost him again.

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

Not in the UK for I suspect over 150 years . Slight difference in the complain about everything culture we have nowadays .

You obviously didn’t grow up in Sussex.

 

[goldstone]

Definitely not offensive - if you think it is, then time to get a life - but also not funny.

 

[Live by the sea]

You obviously didn’t grow up in Sussex.

Correct I didn’t .

 

[Live by the sea]

This from the late 50’s shows you how far we have come , probably didn’t anticipate woman wouldn’t always be feminine which seems to be the case nowadays.

 

[pearl]

Yorkie is yuk

 

[FatSuperman]

I can see it’s not entirely appropriate in todays climate - old as I am I do understand that and don’t expect to see adverts like this anymore, fair enough

Sometimes I worry that when we are getting vocal about the slightest things in life we detract from the completely unacceptable sexist/ racist abusive behaviour which needs stamping out. Being upset about ads like this tends to weaken the real issues. I felt people had to really want to be offended by the Tiger Woods tampon incident in order to be outraged

This is the key for me.

1 in 4 women have been victims of sexual assault. Less than 1% of reported assaults end with conviction, with court cases taking up to 15 months. There are over 14k women on waiting lists for rape crises centres.

All this noise about a handful of trans women in prison is just ridiculous. I'm sure it's an issue and a solution needs to be found. But given the amount of time the media have spent on it, surely they should spent every second of every day for the next ten years talking about the real issues here.

We don't need things in our culture / society that continue to reinforce than men are better, or entitled to more, or that women are play things of men. I really don't think the Yorkie advert does much of that, it's tongue in cheek and I don't think many people took it literally (although there are always a number of proper imbeciles out there)

 

[TugWilson]

I think it`s bloody hilarious , i have two daughters in their 30s who are very strong minded and secure enough in their own abilities to laugh off such a petty thing as getting offended at a chocolate advert . As they would say , i`ve got better things to do .

 

[jakarta]

Was clearly tongue in cheek, as well as being a fairly shameless rip off of the Stoning Scene in Life of Brian.

As an advertising campaign it didn't work with me - never liked them. Topics however

 

[hart's shirt]

 

[zefarelly]

more than a whiff of Monty Python there.

can't say I remember it, but clearly not that old.

 

[Brighton Lines]

I miss the 1970s.

They are still available on package tours to some KIngdoms...

 

[Deadly Danson]

I don't care but I am here to tell you that if you've never tried a Yorkie Orange then you are WOKE.

 

[ozzygull]

As a woman, I just thought it was a shit advert. Not going to bite, as I am feeling quite chilled after a great ride on my motorbike this morning now watching football, before going back to work tomorrow as a network engineer.

i don’t like stereo typing,

 

[Brighton Lines]

This is the key for me.

1 in 4 women have been victims of sexual assault. Less than 1% of reported assaults end with conviction, with court cases taking up to 15 months. There are over 14k women on waiting lists for rape crises centres.

All this noise about a handful of trans women in prison is just ridiculous. I'm sure it's an issue and a solution needs to be found. But given the amount of time the media have spent on it, surely they should spent every second of every day for the next ten years talking about the real issues here.

We don't need things in our culture / society that continue to reinforce than men are better, or entitled to more, or that women are play things of men. I really don't think the Yorkie advert does much of that, it's tongue in cheek and I don't think many people took it literally (although there are always a number of proper imbeciles out there)

Quite.

The issues surrounding these matters go beyond the adverts. The advert could be seen as amusing in isolation (I think it's a bit crap). But any woman who asks why, even in humour, they are being portrayed in this way and talks about reinforcing attitudes has a much more valid point.

I was only listening to a Bad Manners track 'Lorraine' the other day. I love the old ska stuff. It has the lyrics 'And when I find her, I'm gonna kill her' and 'Lorraine punched me on the nose, so I slapped her round the head'. I thought about it and realised that none of it was literal. But at the time, as an 11 year old, it was feeding subliminal messages. I grew up in an age where violence against women was rife, yet despite being mostly unacceptable, was generally ignored.

That said, what is of that time stays in that time. If it was acceptable then, as was the culture, no-one has the right to issue post-judgement- because if they lived in the time, they would likely have been the same.

So there is nothing wrong with any of the adverts placed above. There is nothing wrong with the posters or the Yorkie add. It is just not something we do now- because now it is wrong. We have learnt a better way. I don't know why folk are clinging on.

 

[Uh_huh_him]

As a 50+ hetero white bloke, I understand that my viewpoint is now outdated.

The ""clever" humour that challenged sexist tropes from my era, are no longer valid.
These adverts are clearly ironic but very much of their time.

They just don't work with my kids generation, because they are one generation removed from the ironic references.
It isn't that they don't have a sense of humour, it's just that it's my generation that are now the target.

I bit several times on the "OK, Boomer" comments, "I'm not a f***ing boomer!" I would reply.
In truth though I was behaving in exactly the same way as boomers do.

 

[Robinjakarta]

About as funny as root canal treatment. I'll stick with Benny Hill.

 

[Brighton Lines]

As a woman, I just thought it was a shit advert. Not going to bite, as I am feeling quite chilled after a great on my motorbike this morning now watching football, before going back to work tomorrow as a network engineer.

i don’t like stereo typing,

I agree, mostly, but there are benign stereo-types. The age old image of men moaning about nothing but the sniffles, women taking an age to get ready and remembering the slightest detail of an argument years later. There are even international stereo-types. I don't accept that these are wrong. They are only so if they have toxic origins. The world would be no fun if we couldn't take the piss.

But there are a lot of stereo-types that have a context and intent that belongs in the sewers of prejudice and toxic masculinity. Painting women as weak, needy and sub-servant are among them.

 

[Coldeanseagull]

Bear baiting, cock fighting, and public executions - hanging, beheading and burning - were considered harmless good all round family entertainment in their time.

For some bizarre reasons, they are not today.

Well that's buggered the themed barbeque this summer