People are slamming this gym advert for being ‘sexist’ and ‘objectifying’ women
A local gym has come under attack for it’s latest billboard campaign [Photo: Twitter/AliceJaneGray]
Equality in sport has been having a moment of late. Who can forget Sport England’s brilliant #ThisGirlCan campaign, which, in focusing on body-positivity encouraged 2.8 million women to get into sport? So it’s a bit of a slap in the face for the movement to learn that a gym is under fire for an advert, whose message seems to fly in the face of everything previous campaigns have been trying to achieve.
The billboard shows a woman’s thong-clad bottom, alongside the tagline: “There’s better things to be stuck behind than the car in front.”
The ads from Cardiff-based gym, UFit Fitness have been placed in various prominent locations around the city and have attracted accusations of sexism and objectification on social media.
“I am going to keep tweeting this sexist advert from my gym, @ufit_fitness, so that lecturers in #sexist advertising can find it easier,” one woman wrote.
“This kind of advertising is openly hostile to women,” added another.
The advert had a prominent position at the Cardiff half marathon [Photo: Twitter/UFit_fitness]
Wading into the debate Jo Stevens, the MP for CardiffCentral posted her own tweet expressing her dismay about the women-unfriendly tone of the advert.
“This is sexist, inappropriate & needs to be called out,” she wrote in a tweet about the gym’s advert.
Going on to discuss her disappointment that the advert appeared at Cardiff’s half marathon, where it could have been viewed by up to 22,000 runners, she told Wales Online: “This is yet another example of inappropriate and sexist advertising that shouldn’t be anywhere near a family friendly event.”
"It has no place at a brilliant day for Cardiff showcasing our wonderful city and the fantastic efforts of everyone who was involved in the Cardiff Half.”
Responding to the backlash agains the advert one of the managers at UFit Fitness told Wales Online: “It wasn’t our intention to offend people and it wasn’t at all done in a sexist or derogatory manner.”
What do you think of the advert? Let us know @YahooStyleUK
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