Sexism every day as the newspaper launches 'Bikini Week'.
GET YOUR SEXY SWIMWEAR ON AND SEND US A SNAP
So says the Sun today as it launches its ‘Bikini Week’, with a big plug on its front page. So, what is ‘Bikini Week’?
Well, women readers are encouraged to take pictures of themselves in swimming costumes and send them to the newspaper. The Sun will then pick the best, er, picture and award the winner a luxury holiday in Greece.
Contrary to appearances, the paper insists this is actually an empowering and broad-minded exercise. It kicks off the, er, fun with ‘Miss GB’ Shelby Tribble, who says:
“People think you have to have a perfect figure to look good in a bikini but I think that’s simply not true. As long as you style it with a smile, everyone looks fab in a bikini.
Whatever shape or size you are, whatever age, there is only one rule when it comes to bikini dressing – if you’ve got it, flaunt it.”
This stirring peroration, (which she definitely said, and was definitely not written by a press officer or Sun writer), is followed by the small print on how to enter the competition. (Wait, if it doesn’t matter how you look, why is it a competition? What standard is being applied to judge the winner? This is all very confusing.)
It says women who take off their clothes and are judged to be ‘runners up’ can receive a whopping £100. But then it adds:
“Entries are open to Sun+ members only. If you’re not a member, you can sign up at thesun.co.uk.”
So women readers – of any age or ‘shape’ – are asked to strip, pose for a photo in a bikini, then sign up to breach the £8 a month paywall on the newspaper’s website.
Then they can send in the photo and have the pleasure of being judged by other women – and of course, male Sun readers and subscribers.
Happy summer everyone.
***
The story launching ‘Bikini Week’ is written by Sun feature writer Emily Fairbairn, which means it cannot possibly be sexist.
Adam Barnett is a staff writer at Left Foot Forward. Follow MediaWatch on Twitter
Read more:
The Sun’s ‘wolf-whistle’ piece says women are oppressed – by feminists
Sexism and red-baiting as the Sun warns of a ‘scarlet sisterhood’ of women leaders
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23 Responses to “The Sun is asking women readers to send in bikini pictures… and subscribe online”
JoeDM
The SUn is just good old English seaside postcard fun.
JoeDM
LOL
robertcp
Does Adam realise that articles like this make him look like a prudish, humourless and hypocritical prat? Nearly all hetrosexual men like to look at pictures of attractive women not wearing very much. Gay men presumably like to look at attractive men not wearing very much, while I understand that women are less keen on looking at photos of men but do they find the sight of a hunk with his top off really unpleasant?
Torybushhug
The pious puritans looking down on the working class once again.
Jacko
This article sums up everything about the Left I despise: the joylessness, the sanctimoniousness, the ‘we-know-what’s-best-for-you’ paternalism, the phoney right-on moralizing, the earnest, petty over-analyziing of irrelevancies.
Meanwhile, the people who own things and run things are getting on with it.