MADRID, Spain:
Spain's government-run Women's Institute has labeled a 2008 calendar
for low-cost airline Ryanair featuring bikini-wearing air hostesses as
sexist and said it would be sending letters of complaint to Irish and
EU authorities.
The
institute, which defends women's rights, said that while the fact that
the proceeds from calendar sales would go to charity was positive, the
photographs "represent the stewardesses as sexual objects" and
"reinforce discriminatory stereotypes." Read Full News from the International Herald Tribune Europe
How
do we put a line between exploitation and art? or exploitation and
celebration of beauty? Are these girls victims? or are they just normal
girls who would kill to become a model, in this case, in a calendar?
Much
has been said about the exploitation of women. Everyday, there is
always a case of someone who has been harassed at work, school, home in
fact stats from wikipedia, shows that " Approximately 15,000 sexual harassment cases are brought to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) each year. Media and government surveys estimate the percentage of women being sexually harassed in the U.S. workplace at 40% to 60%. The European
Women's Lobby reports that between 40 and 50 % of female employees have
experienced some form of sexual harassment or unwanted sexual behavior
in the workplace."
The Spanish are tolerant people. I
love them to bits and when it comes to equality and defending one's
rights, they are the first to stand up and make a difference. However,
in this case, isn't it a bit just too much? True, the marketing ploy is
a bit cheeky using their flight attendants to pose for it. But I'm sure
a lot of people would agree that they wouldn't want a calendar with the seven wonders of the world each year, no?
I'm sure they have loads of other girls who would have killed to be the
face (and the body) of each month of the year . I would, if I were a
flight attendant and if I had their body, which unfortunately, I don't.
Come to think of it, why weren't there any protests with the NEW YORK FIREFIGHTER'S HUNK CALENDARS?
They
are also naked (I've seen the insert pages and they are smoking hot!),
they are also in a calendar and can be very well interpreted as well as
sexual objects but nobody says anything against it! Is it because they
are men...and men just don't care to expose their body to the whole
world (on the contrary, they love it)? or Is it because the marketing
ploy was better?---they called them HEROES, which they are, but the
term can be subjective. We have our day to day heroes and I firmly
believe that flight attendants are one of those! They treat you well so
you can have a safe and pleasant flight, they combat turbulence in the
name of service, they spend most of the time away from their families,
and more often than not, they suffer from maltreatment and verbal abuse
from passengers. They are , in their beautiful, smiling ways, heroes
themselves! 
The
girls did the photoshoot with consent and they are adults. True, there
might be people out there who must have been offended with the project,
in this case, the women's organization in Spain, but for sure there are
people as well who think that these girls needed a break from jet lag,
air turbulence , crying babies and vomiting passengers.
There is
always a thin line between sexual exploitation and art or celebration
of beauty. Now, I am not an expert on this and I may not know how to
define what exactly the borderline is; but one thing I am certain of is
that the next time people see these girls in their flight, they will
ask for an autograph and not a cup of coffee....
Besos.
Miss J.
www.marbellastyle.blogspot.com