By now, PETA is as well known for its sexist campaign stunts as it is for its advocacy of animal rights. While the organisation is against the consumption of meat, it's routinely accused of treating female bodies like cuts of the stuff in its own marketing campaigns.
Now, the animal rights charity has come under fire for enlisting bikini-clad women to promote veganism at Wimbledon. The volunteers, dressed in red, blue and white bikinis, handed out bowls of strawberries and dairy-free cream to people in the queue, in a stunt that has been compared to "'70s-style sexism".
Today at Wimbledon: We served strawberries and vegan cream to tennis fans. 🎾🍓https://t.co/w92airJr4S pic.twitter.com/w4is49v1vQ
— PETA UK (@PETAUK) July 3, 2017
Wimbledon officials said the brand's attention-grabbing tactic breached their marketing guidelines, Mail Online reported, and many condemned the stunt on Twitter as outdated and "pathetic". Numerous people pointed out that veganism and the animal cruelty cause don't need to be linked to female sexuality for people to understand them or pay attention.
I fail to see what benefit some seventies style sexism has for animal rights. Has this approach ever actually convinced anyone to go vegan?
— SallyC (@sallyecho) July 3, 2017
Wait, are we back in the 1970s?
— katie (@katiemoffat) July 4, 2017
FFS Thought we had done away with tits & arses flogging things in the '70s #MustWeStillFightThisShitIn2017
— Andrea B (@old_mardy) July 3, 2017
Your blatant sexism is pathetic.
— Nadine Shah (@nadineshah) July 7, 2017
Did you mention the side order of misogyny that came free?
— Adam (@komradeadamski) July 3, 2017
Very poor comms outreach. Dated, sexist and doubtful it conveyed any serious message from @PETAUK at all - except maybe a smirk or two. 😕
— Nikki Alvey (@NikkiAlvey) July 4, 2017
compassion 4 all!?? How about not exploiting women? & Yes i am a vegan
— Lisa Ramsey (@repealbsllisa) July 3, 2017
We should be fighting sexism, even within the animal rights movement
— Filmingforliberation (@Filmingforlib) July 4, 2017
I don't know what's worse, exploiting cows for their milk or exploiting a woman's body to promote a product.
— Becka (@BeckaFaulkner) July 3, 2017
Some also questioned whether the organisation's consistent use of women's bodies as a marketing strategy had any reasoning behind it.
Do you have some solid evidence that being sexist is a good way to bring more people to a vegan lifestyle?
— Rachel Velebny (@rachelbvee) July 3, 2017
Other animal rights groups condemned the action.
Thank you, #PETA. We almost forgot how #sexist you are. https://t.co/C67B2w7ll1
— RFOAR (@RealFacesOfAR) July 4, 2017
But PETA defended the stunt. Replying to one of the critical tweets, the organisation said it “support[s] anyone using their bodies to make a social statement if they chose to”. Elisa Allen, the charity's director, also said that "as an organisation staffed largely by feminist women" it "believe[s] women should be free to use their minds and bodies as political instruments to bring attention to animal suffering," the Evening Standard reported.
"Our activists choose to participate in our colourful actions because they want to do something to make people stop and pay attention – which, in today's hustle and bustle, is not always an easy feat," she also told the Standard.
"This approach has proved successful, as many of the people who stop and look then go on to try vegan milks and meats for the first time, take a leaflet, or visit our website to learn more about abusive animal agriculture," Allen continued, pointing out that men have also posed shirtless for the charity's stunts.
However, she failed to highlight that the number of naked and semi-naked women has always far outweighed the number of men. Women such as Sadie Frost and Pamela Anderson have appeared completely naked in its posters, while men such as Paul McCartney have been featured fully clothed.
Sending all our best to @Sadieliza on her birthday! Thank you for turning your back on fur.❤️ pic.twitter.com/dVl9AOXir5
— PETA UK (@PETAUK) June 19, 2017
Love a woman with a kind heart ❤️ Sending birthday love to @oliviamunn today! pic.twitter.com/JnoCi5WTTk
— PETA (@peta) July 3, 2017
Wishing a very happy birthday to long-time animal advocate @PaulMcCartney! pic.twitter.com/YJFMA94jVP
— PETA UK (@PETAUK) June 18, 2017
Not only are sexist tactics like this offensive, they're also boring. It's time for PETA to bring its marketing campaigns into the 21st century.
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