Lynx now include women in their range of products at the “Lynx Lodge.”
We already know that Lynx produces some of the most sexist and degrading advertising you can find (or rather – finds you). So I’m not sure why I was surprised to hear that Lynx is opening a resort called “The Lynx Lodge.”
As reported in the Courier Mail:
The Lynx Lodge, set to open later this year in Lake Macquarie, NSW, has been billed as the “ultimate man-cation destination”.
A team of models will make up the “friendly and flexible” lodging staff and will offer on-the-spot back rubs, breakfast in bed and “sexy wake-up calls”.
“From grabbing your wood on the golf course through to getting filthy on a dirt bike, every day at the Lynx Lodge will leave you utterly shagged,” the website states.
Evening entertainment will include mud wrestling and games of Twister.
Lynx is holding a competition to mark the launch of the resort, where the winner will get to stay at the resort with seven friends.
If you’re still using Lynx deodorants or buying them for the men or boys in your family, the time to boycott Lynx is now.
You might also like to let Lynx know what you think, which you can do through Unilever’s website.
Tell Lynx:
- You’ve had enough of their sexist and degrading advertising.
- The Lynx Lodge is degrading to women.
- Most importantly – you won’t purchase Lynx anymore and where possible, will avoid other Unilever brands too.*
*Unilever is the parent company for Lynx as well as a number of other brands. If you choose to boycott Unilever brands, look for this Unilever logo on the label.
You can also view a list of Unilever’s brands at their website. (Yes, this is the brand which own’s Dove which produces the ‘campaign for real beauty.’ Perhaps they should rename it ‘campaign for real profits!’)
UPDATE!
Melinda Tankard Reist has written about the Lynx promotion for the Lynx Lodge – ‘pop up spas’ in Sydney’s Martin Place and Woolworths promotion of the Lynx Lodge.
Why would Woolworths associate itself with the objectification of women?
It’s not news that Lynx’s revels in degrading representations of women to promote its body spray.
I’ve talked about their ‘Spray More Get More’ campaign which features women transforming into out-of-control-sex-maniacs the second they smell Lynx on a man.
Collective Shout has also exposed the sexism and misogyny of the Lynx brand in a recent post about the ‘Lynx Lodge’.
But what is new is the discovery that Lynx has the support of one of the world’s biggest supermarket chains – Woolworths. Is Woolies to be known as the women-as-fresh-meat people? Read more here.
Take Action Today!
Write to Unilever
Contact Unilever here. You might wish to make the following points in your letter to Unilever about Lynx and the Lynx Lodge:
- Tell them you will never buy Lynx. For advanced boycotters, tell them you will avoid purchasing anything with the Unilever logo. (Find the list of Unilever brands here or look for the “U” on the back of the label when you are shopping)
- Unilever has often claimed that Lynx is offering a fantasy. The Lynx Lodge is offering a reality that is usually found only in the sex industry.
- The Lynx brand is targeted to teenage boys and men in their early twenties. Lynx is normalising pornography use and prostitution in this age group, which has a detrimental impact on girls and women and on relationships.
- Girls and women deserve better than to have their equality undermined by irresponsible brands such as Unilever.
- They can’t continue telling girls to love their bodies as they are through Dove, while consistently undermining that message through Lynx. We won’t be fooled.
Write to Woolworths about their promotion of the Lynx Lodge
Michael Luscombe is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Woolworths.
Contact Woolworths management, using the telephone, email or postal contacts here.
You might choose to make the following points in your letter to Woolworths:
- Acknowledge their committment to the community as outlined in their own policy - ‘As a member of those communities we understand that we have a duty to be more than just a retail outlet, but to also make a positive impact on the societies that we serve’ (this statement found here)
- By continuing to sell Lynx, they are selling a brand that objectifies women in all of the marketing and advertising they do.
- The Lynx Lodge borders on prostitution, they are promoting a venue which carries all the hallmarks of the sex industry.
Write to these contacts about the Lynx ‘pop up spa.’
Time Out (Where details of the event were advertised)
letters@timeoutsydney.com.au
City of Sydney
http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/
Lord Mayor of Sydney
Clover Moore MP,
cmoore@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au
You might choose to make the following points in your letter about the ‘pop up spa’:
- It promotes the idea that women’s bodies are their to pleasure men
- It arouses men before they go to work, increasing the possibility of sexual harassment in the workplace
- For young boys who see this, it normalises the idea that women provide services with their bodies
- The pop up spa, promoting the Lynx Lodge is really a promotion of the sex industry
- It is unfair for people as they pass through the city, to be confronted with an event that would normally be found in an adults only venue such as a strip club.
Contact these members of the Lake Macquarie Council and voice your objection to the Lynx Lodge
Mayor of Lake Macquarie
Mr Greg Piper, MP
92 Victory Parade
TORONTO NSW 2283
Phone (02) 4959 3200
Fax (02) 4950 4076
Email: lakemacquarie@parliament.nsw.gov.au
Website www.gregpiper1.com
Councillor Jodie Harrison (ALP)
Address: c/- Lake Macquarie City Council
Box 1906 Hunter Region Mail Centre 2310
Mobile: 0428 141 029
Email: jharrison@lakemac.nsw.gov.au
Councillor Paul Scarfe (IND)
Address: c/- Lake Macquarie City Council
Box 1906 Hunter Region Mail Centre 2310
Phone: 02 4956 5356
Mobile: 0412 452 928
Fax: 02 4954 7888
Email: pscarfe@lakemac.nsw.gov.au
Councillor Anthony Birt (LIB)
Address: c/- Lake Macquarie City Council
Box 1906 Hunter Region Mail Centre 2310
Mobile: 0428 910 290
Email: abirt@lakemac.nsw.gov.au
Councillor Garry Edwards (LIB)
Address: PO Box 18, Belmont, NSW 2280
Mobile: 0428 310 290
Email: gedwards@lakemac.nsw.gov.au
As always, please post any complaints you send, or responses you receive in the comments section below.
58 Comments
Hi again Chris,
Thanks for your more detailed comment.
Chris, our concerns about the Lynx Lodge stem directly from their own advertising campaign. We have reported on what Lynx have said about their own promotion. At no stage have we claimed that the Lynx models have been forced to work at the Lynx Lodge, however Lynx’s own advertising indicates that the Lynx models will be told what to do. This is what the sex industry is all about which is why the Lodge has been termed a ‘virtual brothel’ by the media.
As you say, one wonders how their planned activities will play out given that a woman has won the competition. However reading the fine print of the competition indicates that the Lynx models will only be there for 3 days. So why have Lynx promoted this to be something like a playboy mansion? The answer is obvious, because sexist, objectifying advertising sells.
We are not at all surprised a woman has won. We heard from a number of women saying they had entered the competition understanding they would win a dirt bike for their sons, apparently the connection to the Lynx Lodge was not clear.
You might see it as ‘a light hearted celebration of the differences between men and women’ but the only thing that is celebrated by Lynx is the depiction of men as idiots and women as sexual playthings.
Whether the models choose to participate in their own degradation (or enter and win a competition) is beside the point. A culture that persistently portrays women in this way is causing harm to girls and women, this is what the research shows. The American Psychological Association for example, has referred to the culture as ‘toxic’ for women and girls. This is not equality. Lynx is a major offender, which is why we encourage people to boycott Lynx and to speak out against their activities. Quite clearly, some don’t think we have a right to do that.
On the contrary, I have no problem with your right to say anything you like. But, only if you accept my right to ridicule what you say if I disagree with it.
Humans, both men and women, are sexual beings. To deny this is to deny our very existence.
It is ludicrous to suggest that Lynx are telling the models what to do at the Lynx Lodge as if they are being commanded to have sex with the clientel. I’ve watched the ads and read the competition details and at no point if I had entered and won would I expect any employees of the Lynx Lodge to make themselves available for my sexual gratification. No sensible person would.
The funny thing about your “men as idiots” statement, is that I think most men ARE idiots. Actually, most people are idiots. And women should be allowed to be sexual playthings, if that is their desire. And then not when it is not. Your idea that women (or for that matter, men)should never be sexual playthings turns otherwise normal sexual beings into closet prudes who feel guilty about expressing their sexuality. Have a guess at how much psychological damage that one has done to people all over the world.
Please understand me here. I am a huge fan of equal rights. But I also believe that men and women are fundamentally different and that their differences should be celebrated. The feminism movement has done a lot of good for women, but they need to know where to draw the line. Making women feel guilty for not being the same as men does a lot of harm. They should not be the same as men. They should be proud women. They should most certainly have equal rights to men. See the difference?
I actually don’t accept that you have a ‘right’ to ridicule, there is no need in meaningful discussion. A right to disagree? yes of course you have a right to do that. But the abusive ridiculing messages posted to our site today are not ‘disagreement’ they are abusive and actually serve to prove our point regarding the impact of sexist advertising.
Sexual beings? Sure, no-one denies that. However exploiting sexuality in the media, promoting a narrow minded and repressed stereotype of sexuality that relies heavily on pornography is not ‘sex.’ In addition, we are not only ‘sexual’ beings, there are many other elements involved in our humanity. The porn-‘sex’ saturation of our culture has gone too far. If you would like to see the psychological consequences of that, the resources tab will lead you to some articles and research papers.
But getting back to Lynx, the ongoing theme in Lynx’s advertising, on their website and their facebook page is that the Lynx models are there to sexually titillate the men at the lodge, ‘sexy wake up calls’ ‘on demand back rubs’ and imagery of men being washed by Lynx models in the bath all tap into the mentality that women exist to service men sexually. Male consumers are led to believe by the promotion that sex might not be out of the question. You mentioned in your comment the words’sensible person.’ Unfortunately a lot of men who are attracted to a place like the Lynx Lodge are far from sensible, earlier comments posted to our blog today demonstrate that fact.
Regarding some of the other issues you raised, I’m not sure how they relate to the issue at hand – wanting women to be the same as men? We have never said that. However we do believe women are entitled to the same respect and status as men both in our personal relationships and in the public space. In the current cultural climate, women exist only to sexually service men, that is the persistent message in media. That’s not freedom and that’s not equality.
OK, we’ll just disagree then. You will notice that I’ve not become abusive and have at least attempted to engage you in a meaningful discussion.
Let’s talk about pornography. There wasn’t any in the Lynx ad. Not even close. I didn’t once see anybody having sex or being involved in a sexual act. There was nothing in that ad that you wouldn’t see at most beaches so please stop exaggerating about that.
Yes, the ad does suggest that the Lynx models are there to “sexually titillate” the men at the lodge. Presumably with their permission or else they wouldn’t be there. Has it occurred to you that these women may in fact find it empowering to be able to affect men in the way that they do? Does that not give them control? Perhaps they are in fact in control of the situation more than the men are. This is the 21st century. Women are empowered and “no” means “no”. Flirting does not automatically mean sex. And I’d be fairly certain that if any man at the Lynx Lodge overstepped any boundaries, he’d find himself beaten and broken and out the door, quick smart, as it should be. These sort of places normally have “security”.
You are assuming that these women feel demeaned. Have you asked them? Do you believe you have the right to force your standards on them without their permission? Are they not permitted freedom of choice if their choice is not acceptable by your standards? Your argument is starting to sound more like social engineering than freedom of choice.
The Lynx Lodge seems to be playing a sexual game. In order for it to succeed at any level, it must be a consentual sexual game which must operate within boundaries. If it does not, it will quickly dissappear on its own and you won’t have to worry about it any longer.
The “making women feel guilty about not being the same as men” remark I made in my previous post is something the feminist movement has been guilty of for years. It permeates every facet of it. The whole point of equality is about freedom of choice. Not comparing men to women, because men and women have different strengths and weaknesses. It is why they are often such a good match. That is why their differences should be celebrated. There are countless articles available where women blame their unhappiness on the feminist movement and unreasonable standards it guilt trips women into reaching. That is not to say it hasn’t done good things but simply that not all women are the same and you can’t expect all women to want the same things. Again, freedom of choice is the whole point.
If you believe that the cultural climate is that “women exist only to sexually service men”, then we will have to disagree on that too. It is an incredibly narrow minded point of view, especially given that you previously stated that “there are many other elements involved in our humanity”. Some women want to “sexually service men”. Some men want to sexually service women. If that is what they want, let them.
To remove this kind of sexual material, like the Lynx ad, from every outlet denies our humanity and also denies our children (or more precisely, our youth) the chance to learn to deal with sexuality. The kind of “cultural climate” you’re suggesting we create would be so sterile that I really do believe that it would lead to more social problems that it solves.
We don’t need to ban the ads. We need to be more in touch with our kids and use these things as a discussion point to guide them so they can form the correct view of the world.
These things challenge our kids and I believe that this is healthy. They only do damage if we fail our duty as parents.
Hey Chris,
You say that “no sensible person” would expect that an employee at the Lynx lodge to provide sexual gratification. Then in the very next sentence you say that all men/people are idiots. Which is it mate? I guess you are saying, based on your own logic that the men who attend the Lynx Lodge would expect sexual gratification because unlike sensible people they are idiots. Have I heard you correctly?
Cheers.
Hi again Chris,
You haven’t become abusive, but your mates have, which has led to us putting our site on moderation.
Yes, I think we will need to ‘agree to disagree.’ I don’t think you understand the point we are making about this type of advertising, your post is lengthy so I will stick to addressing just a few points.
The Lynx commercials borrow themes from pornography and encapsulate the values and attitudes attached to it. (ie. women exist only to sexually service men and expect no respect, friendship or love in return) This is our concern with advertising.
You mentioned ‘freedom of choice.’ A culture that persistently sends a message to girls from the earliest age that their highest priority should be their appearance, they should look hot for the boys, they should perform for the boys is one that limits choice for girls. This message is coming loud and clear through little girls magazines, teen magazines, music videos, clothing, advertising, all of which our site addresses. As previously stated, there are many elements to our humanity, this is being denied by the broader culture which advocates instead a ‘narrow minded point of view’ regarding sexuality. (I think you misunderstood the point i was making in an earlier comment). Collective Shout is a response to the evidence of harm. It was actually a bloke who said it best, one of the worlds best known psychologist and authors:
“To come out of sexual prudery is one thing, to be swamped in sexual pressure is as limiting and oppressive in the other direction.” – Steve Biddulph
Just because we resist a culture that swamps young girls in sexual pressure, a pornified culture, does not mean we advocate for ‘sexual prudery.’
Chris, the evidence shows that these things don’t ‘challenge’ kids, they do harm. Depression, anxiety, poor self esteem, earlier sexual activity, (in addition, most girls end up regretting their first sexual experience) This is not healthy.
Chris, if you want to be ‘more in touch with kids’ you might start with acknowledging what is actually happening to them, rather than making idealistic assumptions about how you think they should respond. Further, we agree that parents need to be in touch with their kids, however it has often been said ‘it takes a village to raise a child.’ The ‘village’ is not supporting parents in the raising of healthy children, but undermining them.
Your insinuation that parents who are concerned about these issues are ‘failing their duty as parents’ couldn’t be more wrong. The parents who are concerned, are concerned precisely because they are in touch their children and their parenting responsibilities and therefore they know exactly what challenges their children are facing. But again, it is not only parents who care about kids.
@ David: You have misrepresented what I said. Read it again. I did not say that all men/people are idiots. I said most people are idiots. Prove me wrong. Please.
@ Team CS: Yes, we are going to have to agree to disagree. I don’t think either of us are really going to give any ground here. I do not accept your point that girls feel they need to look hot for boys any more than boys feel they need to look hot for girls (seen those Calvin Clien men’s underwear ads) which is why I don’t accept that it’s a sexism issue. It is entirely natural for people to want to be attractive to the opposite sex (assuming they’re straight). Even wild animals play that game.
As for ideals about parenting, I’m a full time home Dad with two kids while my wife is pursuing her career. I’m not being idealistic about the way I think kids should be guided through the minefield of social issues. I’m living it in the real world. My kids are my responsibility. Not yours. Not the government’s. And certainly not the advertisers of this world. Instead of dumbing down everything so nobody can ever be offended, how about we teach our children to think for themselves and critically evaluate the world around them? Only then can we truly free their minds. If we do that, the advertising won’t work anymore and these ads that bother you so much will dissappear on their own. Advertisers only do it because it works. Why does it work? Because MOST PEOPLE ARE IDIOTS! And that is because too many parents are not accepting their responsibility to shape and broaden the minds of their children. I’m kind of surprised our ideals about parenting are so different given my views on freedom and critical thinking but that’s life.
Thank you for the discussion. I’ll leave you alone now.
Hi again Chris,
Again you’ve missed the point. I suggest you look at some of the research on this issue (‘resources’ in top menu) for more information. You may still disagree, but at least you will understand the issues.
Regarding the rest of your comments, you’ve taken a shot at parents.. “too many parents are not accepting their responsibility….”
The parents concerned about these issues have taken this responsibility very seriously. Aside from teaching their children critical thinking and media literacy (which our organisation advocates) they also choose to challenge the industry directly. It’s been done before very successfully. When was the last time you saw a cigarette commercial?
Thanks for the discussion Chris.
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