Lynx is known for its sexist advertising, on billboards, in print, online and on TV. Lynx is a brand of deodorant, but what the company are also selling is the idea that women are there to be used and that men have an automatic entitlement to women’s bodies.
It’s time to send a strong message to Lynx and its parent company Unilever, that we will not tolerate this sexist, objectifying marketing targeted at teenage boys anymore. We have outlined several ways to make your voice heard.
Click on the following images to read more about Lynx and to take action.
Now tell your friends!
Use this ‘Lynx Stynx’ logo as your profile picture on Facebook and Twitter.
Post a link to this page on Facebook and Twitter, encourage your friends to take action.
Share our video ‘The Real Lynx Effect’ with your network. (a parody of the image they feature on the back of Lynx deodorant cans)
Background Reading
Some articles from co-founder of Collective Shout, Melinda Tankard Reist.
14 Comments
wow- this is a comprehensive campaign and yet easy to participate in thanks to Collective Shout!
I’m on a role taking action… Here is my letter to unilever… I couldn’t bring myself to be calm and polite as I’ve been calm and polite with them before and they do nothing!
“I am writing to express my disgust at the Lynx Lodge, promoted by your company Lynx. I don’t feel I need to explain how degrading this is and how it borders on being a brothel. Any attempt at denying this is ridiculous.
I write not to hear your pre-written response justifying this Lodge, I have had pre-written response from your company before. I write to let you know I am boycotting all Unilever products and have many friends and contacts prepared to do the same. I also write to hear what you intend to do about this and I eagerly anticipate news that this project has been shut down.”
btw – WELL DONE re Woolies!
It’s very heartening to know stuff does happen!
My letter-
I am writing to complain about your recent Lynx Lodge promotion.
The entire Lynx Lodge campaign includes blatant sexualisation and objectification of women. The advertisements depict women as being lost and unfulfilled without men, presenting the message to women and girls (which is even more concerning) that in order to be fulfilled they need male attention.
The images of women in your campaign are also sexually suggestive, as are your tag lines “grab your wood” and “get laid back”, presenting the idea that women are sexual playthings there for males’ sexual gratification.
As a teacher I find this very concerning. We know that more girls are developing eating disorders, mental illnesses and engage in sexual activity earlier, and yet your Lynx Lodge campaign presents the very messages that lead girls down dangerous paths.
You say that you support real beauty and female empowerment through your Dove campaigns, so how can you immediately erase those messages with this ridiculous Lynx Lodge campaign?
I know that you have received many complaints about this, and I have read your standard reply letter in which you state that Lynx uses “light-hearted and tongue-in-check advertisements” and you imply that the Lynx advertisements are merely a joke which the women are in on. However, it is not a joke and it is not lighthearted. I see girls everyday who are dealing with issues to do with body image and I know that many girls feel that the only way they can be validated as a women is to engage in sexual behaviours. How can those people who are trying to have a positive effect on the girls of this country hope to succeed when girls are presented with sexualised and objectified images of women in your commercials and website?
I will no longer buy Lynx and Unilever products and I will be encouraging my friends and family to boycott your products until you rethink this campaign. I am happy to receive a reply from you, but as I said, I have already read your standard response, so if that is all you are going to send, please don’t bother.
A company of your size has such an opportunity to do good and help our next generation develop into healthy individuals, but at the moment I really do believe that what you are doing is damaging. I encourage you to rethink your Lynx Lodge campaign and find ways to empower rather than degrade women and men in your advertisements.
Sincerely,
Laura Hodge
This is the message I sent to Unilever.
I am disgusted by your advertising campaigns for Lynx deodorant. They consistently degrade women. Women are not just pieces of meat or masturbatory material for men. Unilever encourages young men to view women as objects to live out their sexual fantasies. I do not want that for my son, and I do not want it for my daughters. It is an absolute disgrace.
Please don’t cut and paste me the typical response about how all the girls are ‘in on the joke’ and everything is ‘tongue in cheek’. Objectifying women is not a joke. Unilever’s advertising is ridiculously offensive and will have serious effects for young people who watch these commercials and accept this unacceptable treatment of women as the norm.
I used to buy Lynx, Rexona, Flora, Surf and Continental, but I refuse to give my money to Unilever, as I will encourage my friends and family to do also. Enough is enough.
By the way, I am a 25 year old woman. People of all demographics can see these ads for what they are- insulting, unoriginal and lazy.
This is the message I sent to Unilever:
I have decided against purchasing any Unilever products in the future regardless of any promotion or price due to the pitiful and degrading advertising campaigns surrounding and in relation to ‘LYNX’ products. I believe that the objectification of women in the media has escalated to levels that are realistically quite ridiculous and campaigns such as ‘the Lynx Lodge’ and ‘Spray more, Get more’ do not bring any positive light to mens or womens sexuality and confidence. As a man I find that the ‘perfect woman’ image and ideal that is portrayed and inferred through these campaigns is not only degrading to women but also infers that all men are only sex-hungry simpletons that would be completely satisfied by women via sexual and subservient means if they just sprayed on or washed with ‘Lynx’ products. As a suggestion, if you would like to promote mens confidence in encounters with the opposite sex, you could attempt to promote treating women with respect and dignity rather than as a means of sexual gratification, but whilst these advertising campaigns continue, an excess of inequality and a lack of respect for women in our modern society will also continue. As a result I am ceasing to purchase ‘Rexona’ as my regular deodorant and checking that all products I buy are not in any way affiliated with Unilever.
Yay to Woolies, and well done team Collective Shout for the success. Here is my 2 cents worth, sent to Unilever:
To whom it may concern,
I am writing to express disappointment and disgust at Unilever’s promotional campaign for Lynx. The consistent use of women as sex objects to sell your products is pathetic. Your company has shown no concern for the concept of sex equality. If you believe in the equality of the sexes, you would not pursue this line of advertising. If you truly believe that women are human beings worthy of respect, and do not simply exist for the sexual pleasure of men, you would not pursue this line of advertising. As a corporation, surely you are supposed to adhere to some sort of code of ethics or morals. In your offices where the marketing staff work, are there pictures of women in bikinis on the wall? I doubt it. Because that is illegal – it’s sexual harassment under the law. Why do you think it’s ok to plaster the public space—the internet, television and magazine advertisements, to name a few spaces—with pictures of near naked women?
I’m going to boycott Unilever’s products. Please consider a different strategy to sell your products. It might even be fun to think of something new and original – the objectification of women is unoriginal, boring and offensive.
After I received the standard reply from Unilver I decided to write again. Here’s my response:
Dear Amy,
Thanks for your response. I realise that this is the standard response and I appreciate that you can’t respond individually to these sorts of queries. However, there are several points in your response which disturb me and I feel compelled to write a reply.
In specific regard to Lynx advertising, you say that Lynx is about giving confidence to young men. Whilst product itself may help with that, I don’t think your advertising does! How is it helpful to a young man’s confidence to be bombarding him with a completely unrealistic fantasy? Is it actually going to help him to talk to a real woman if he’s spending all day “playing” with the models on your website? Will he be more confident going into a real relationship when he’s been primed to expect the kind of perpetually turned-on submissive subservience that your ads portray? I sincerely doubt it. The “Lynx effect” is far more likely to produce unrealistic expectations, unhealthy attitudes towards women and ultimately relationship failure.
As far as “amusing” and “light-hearted”… well, that’s a matter of personal taste. But I can assure you that many women and men I know find the ads degrading and offensive. As for the women being “in on the joke” well, it doesn’t look much like it to me! But maybe they are, because they’re the ones getting paid. Either way, I don’t think your advertising discloses to young men that the kind of unrealistic attention from women that they are being primed to expect is, in real life, almost always only possible when money changes hands! So maybe the joke is on the guys in the end.
You say you are serious about how you advertise to children, so how about being responsible in the way you advertise to teenage guys? Your target market is at a time of life when they are just figuring out about themselves, relationships and the world. The messages you’re sending them are highly misleading and, I believe, ultimately destructive. A generation of guys that grows up believing the “Lynx effect” is not going to be a generation of caring, mature partners husbands or fathers – If they even get that far!
Your former customer,
Bronwyn B
ps – I was at the supermarket today and was pleased to discover that there are plenty of non-Unilever deoderant and personal care products for me to choose from.
My first email generated the Unilever predigested response (NOT free from all artificial colours and flavours), so I emailed again:
Dear Amy Birrell
This is not a useful reply. Regardless of the standards you may claim to voluntarily support, you are promoting a campaign which degrades and objectifies women. You are effectively advertizing a brothel. If that’s not how it looks to you, check the comments on the Lynx site.
You say:
“Lynx communicates to its consumers through a series of light-hearted and tongue-in-check advertisements that feature fantasy situations that rarely happen for guys in the real world. Lynx strives to create marketing campaigns and promotions that make women laugh as much as men, and the women featured in our advertising are always in on the joke.
The campaign for Lynx aims to build the confidence of young men. For Lynx, it is about the ‘Lynx effect’, the boost that using Lynx can give to the confidence of young men that often find themselves daunted by the dating game.”
I doubt if the women in your Lynx advertizements really think it’s funny and respectful to women (especially compared with the Dove campaign). I also doubt if anyone would voluntarily take part in such an advertizement if they didn’t need the money and exposure (sic).
If these are fantasy situations, why are you reinforcing them through advertizing? Won’t your target audience be more successful in relationships if they deal with reality?
Also, if young men lack confidence in relationships, feeding them fantasy situations will only make things worse. Women do not want to be treated as slavering sex maniacs or blow-up dolls. Do you?
I am really surprised that a woman would defend this blatantly damaging advertizing. If someone offers you a job in a brothel, are you going to hop onto your spike shoes, puff up your chest, pout and squeak, “Ooh, I’ve _always_ wanted to do that! You’ve found my dearest wish! I just have to tear my clothes off and slaver over the nearest man RIGHT NOW!”
Or not?
Clytie Siddall
My response to Unilever:
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing to express my disgust at the Lynx advertising strategies your company is employing to sell Lynx deoderant.
As a man in my late 20s, I am deeply offended by the mindless sexual gratification which you appear to be using as the prime motivator to sell your product. It appears that you believe that all men want is mindless sex with passive women-objects, all the time, and that Lynx is the best way to achieve that desire; worse, you undermine male confidence by suggesting that we are somehow incapable or worse off in our relationships with women if we don’t use your deoderant.
I am a married man and a father of one, so I get that I’m not your target market. However, this doesn’t stop me being deeply concerned by the negative emphasis you place on both women’s dignity and sexuality and men’s confidence. This doesn’t stop me from being frustrated by your presentation of women as pornographic objects, and the negative effects this has on normal, healthy romantic relationships. This doesn’t stop me being perturbed by your infamous ‘Lynx Lodge’ campaign, which so belittles women as to make them base sexual service stations for men. This doesn’t stop me being concerned for my son’s welfare as he is exposed to hypersexualised advertising, such as yours.
Until you make a significant and positive change in your advertising strategies for Lynx, I will cease to be buying it (and other Unilever products) as my deoderant. Sure, it bothers me a bit that the Nivea brand rely on advertising that depicts men as a bit soft and needing to ‘look after themselves’, but I think it’s a pretty good trade from unadulterated raunch.
Expecting my form letter any day now…
Response that I received from Unilever.
“Dear Ms Hirst
Thank you for your feedback and the opportunity to address your concerns regarding our marketing activations.
While acknowledging the raised points I would like to take the opportunity to outline Unilever¿s practice standards regarding the marketing activities involving our products:
We take marketing responsibilities very seriously and are committed to responsible marketing
In all cases we follow the regulatory guidelines, while being respectful of differing views, and taking care not to offend.
Unilever adopted a global guideline to prevent the use of ‘size zero’ models or actors in its advertising to ensure that our advertising does not promote ‘unhealthy’ slimness.
We follow explicit guidelines about direct advertising to young children.
Unilever has a wide portfolio of everyday consumer brands, offering products to consumers that address different needs. Each of our brands talks to its target consumers in a way that is relevant and that communicates the brand’s own unique proposition. Sometimes that proposition is serious and informative; at other times it is light-hearted and amusing.
Lynx communicates to its consumers through a series of light-hearted and tongue-in-check advertisements that feature fantasy situations that rarely happen for guys in the real world. Lynx strives to create marketing campaigns and promotions that make women laugh as much as men, and the women featured in our advertising are always in on the joke.
The campaign for Lynx aims to build the confidence of young men. For Lynx, it is about the Lynx effect the boost that using Lynx can give to the confidence of young men that often find themselves daunted by the dating game.
We do take the concerns of consumers very seriously and thank you for your feedback.
Again, we apologise for any offence caused and thank you for taking the time to contact us.
Yours sincerely
Consumer Relations Department
http://www.unilever.com.au “
Just wrote to unilever.
I can’t believe a company that owns so many female-oriented products would support such foul advertising.
Leave feedback for them here:
http://www.unilever.com.au/resource/contactus-form/index.aspx
While you’re there, have a look at other products they own – just in case you would prefer to choose alternative brands next time you’re shopping.
Additionally, why not write to your local shopping centre that sells lynx products and request they botcott the product itself. Seriously. Why not.
I love Woolworths, but as long as they sell Lynx, I have an issue. I would like to see lynx gone.
Julia – I just got that same email response from them verbatim. I think I’ll write a response to it because it’s really quite insulting. They don’t care at all about how offensive it is. I actually wonder if they adopt this type of marketing to bait people deliberately.
I teach a media studies course at uni, and last week I asked the students what they thought of the mantra ‘sex sells’, and showed them pictures (many of which I got from this website – thanks CS!). Some of the students who are also taking marketing courses are taught that sex sells. I tried to get them to think about what kind of sex specifically is being used to sell products in these ads. It was very difficult to get through to them that the ‘sex’ depicted in these ads is an extremely limited version of sex – soft porn basically. If we are constantly bombarded with it, how are they to know otherwise? How are they going to be able to construct independent ideas about sex for themselves if they are bombarded with soft porn?
Hey guys,
I am a newby to writing letters of complaint but feel angry ans insulted enough by Lynx to want to do something about it. I felt so inspired reading all your articulate, well written letters to Unilever about Lynx. I hope you don’t mind if I do some cutting and pasting from your letters when I add my voice to yours and complain.
I reckon all this shouting will, in the end, get the ear of the company.
Email I have just sent to Unilever
I have made a list of all your brands, and feel disappointed that I am in a in a position of having to change products. The Unilever products I have used over the years I have considered them to be some of the best in the supermarket range and have been loyal to them. But am now prepared to use other products that I may consider to be of lower quality to yours – primarily over the issue of your “lynx campaign”
I run a girls youth group, and over the time we have gotten to know each other, the girls have shared certain things about themselves. I now know that two of the girls suffer from anorexia, one is a model and has been used on a billboard in our city – thus her disease and bad body image rewarded. I feel sad that woman are not valued for who they are, but their value is based on looks and what they can offer sexually. I feel your brand “lynx” reiterates this, and objectifies woman to men and teenage boys, further creating this bad cycle. I will be boycotting all of your Unilever products and are spreading the word to family and friends to do the same.
Please have a conscience, and when you are on your deathbed, I’m sure it won’t be the money you’ve had, the career you’ve created. It will be the relationships in life that will hold the most importance, and along with that it would be wonderful to have left a good legacy to youth and society, one that uplifts and not uses people for your own means and gain.
Also please don’t bother replying if it is going to be your standard “tounge n cheek” reply.
Past Unilever Purchaser
Amelia Norfolk
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