Ads surround us.
They are everywhere,
invading our public and private spaces via tv, radio, magazines, billboards,
citylights.
The use of sexist stereotypes, negative images of certain groups
(mostly women) in these ads, the use of the human body as a sexualized object is
prevalent: wherever you look, you will find
bodies for sale.
Do these images influence our perception of human values, our
perception of genders and gender equality? Do they shape the thoughts of future
generations? Where is the borderline of freedom of speech? Is it democracy at
all where only those can speak out, send messages to the wide public on these
billboards who have economic power?
Do we have a chance to refuse such
aggressive messages and images in our public spaces?
Is there a
chance for change?
A series of events in the Czech Republic, in Poland and
now in Hungary endeavours to find answers to these questions. Join us!
******
The aim of project “Ads and genders” is to draw attention to the fact that sexist advertising that presents women and men through simplified gender stereotypes has harmful effect on society and hinders to fulfil one of the European Union’s top priorities of achieving gender equality. Sexually explicit advertising is especially frequent among new member countries in Central and Eastern Europe therefore the project’s main focus is on Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland.
Although all these countries are now member states and the
according legislation has been harmonized to the national level, gender equality
is still not in practice at all aspects of life at present time. As a
counterpoint, we would like to acquaint the Austrian experiences of fight
against sexist advertisements of several decades.
Our goal is to stimulate a
discussion about the relation between degrading images, sexist advertising and
the right for gender equality. Emphasis will be put on the role and
responsibility of the media in democracy.
At the exhibition visitors will face images from our streets and public places and will see how we are bombarded with negative gender stereotypes each day. Our hope is that it will support and encourage citizens to act and feel responsible for what is exposed in our public areas. The event is accompanied by a workshop that will serve as a platform for NGOs and advertisers to exchange their views and experiences on the issue in question.
The exhibition presents photos of Polish, Czech, Slovakian and Hungarian sexist billboards in the urban environment. This exhibition had been organized already in the Czech Republic and Poland, so Hungary is the 3rd venue. The exhibition will take place in a popular independent cultural centre (Tűzraktér) that is free of charge for visitors. The exhibition will be opened by an opening party with a press conference participating the foreign partners’ delegations.
During the opening hours of the exhibition supplemental programmes will be available, like creative programmes for children and families at week-ends, guided visiting of the exhibition for school-classes, showing of documentary films.
At the exhibition’s opening day an international conference will be held which entails lectures and round-table discussions about the possible effects of the ads-presented male and female stereotypes on society and on future generations; the correspondence between sexist media representation and gender equality; the problematic relationship between billboards in public spaces and freedom of speech. At the afternoon workshop the participant members of NGOs and advertising companies intend to make a recommendation, with professional definitions and a toolkit to help advertisers and communication managers to avoid the usage of sexist panels and gender stereotypes in their advertising practice.
We will publish an e-book (on CD) to get to know with the media and a wider range of enquirers the exhibition and conference material in Hungarian and English language.
Tűsarok.org (an online media for women) will operate a subsite for the project, where we will publish the exhibition and conference material (pictures, texts of lectures, etc.), articles and documents related to the theme in Hungarian and English language. The website will be available and substainable after the ending of the project, and the permanently growing material collected there could be useful help for teaching or researching in this issue.
• „In Our Faces” conference and exhibition organized at the City Hall of Prague, Czech Republic in September 2005.
• „In Our Faces – a visual assault on the city of Prague” – publication published along with the Prague conference and exhibition (photo album with the pictures from the exhibition, list of participants and the statements of the EU and the Advertisement Ethics Committee about sexist ads).
• „Before Our Eyes” conference and exhibition in Wroclaw, Poland in June 2006, a continuation of the Prague „In Our Faces” where this project’s leader also held a presentation with the title „Sexist ads in Hungary”.
• This project is supported both by the Czech (Beth Lazroe), and by the Polish organizator (Katarzyna Pawlik), after the Budapest event the Slovakian Aspekt Foundation (Lubovica Kobova) plans to organize a similar event in Bratislava.
(specific)
• international exhibition material about sexist advertising
• recommendation to the national Advertising Ethics Committees about sexist advertising, creating a toolkit for advertisers
• publication (E-book) that will be disseminated by the participants
• subsite on www.Tűsarok.org(general)
• initiating dialogue about this issue between advertisers, decision-makers and NGOs
• increasing consumers’ awareness
• higher quality advertising culture
• directing the attention of advertisers to the problem of sexist advertising
• eliminating negative images and sexist stereotypes appearing in the media
• strengtheing relationship and international cooperation between non-governmental organizations
• improving equality between the sexes
• improving cooperation in the national civil sphere and among women’s NGOs in Hungary
Anyahajó Kulturális Egyesület
(Mothership Cultural Association)
Budapest, Hungary
FIONA – Fiatal Nőkért Alapítvány
(FIONA – Foundation for Young Women)
Budapest, Hungary
League of Human Rights, Brno, Czech Republic
Regional Branch of Polish-Czech-Slovakian Solidarity Association, Wroclaw, Poland
ASPEKT, Bratislava, Slovakia
Beth Lazroe, University of New York in Prague, Czech Republic
Suzanne Formanek, In our faces project, Prague, Czech Republic
ARC, Hungary
International Visegrad Fund, Slovakia
Göd9r Klub, Budapest, Hungary
Czech Cultural Centre, Budapest, Hungary
Polish Institute, Budapest, Hungary
Slovak Institute in Budapest, Hungary
Austrian Cultural Forum, Budapest
(MediaWatch, Canada)
Venue: Czech Centre
9:45-10:00: Opening
speech
10:00-10:30: Ads and Genders: what is sexism? – representation of
women in today’s Hungarian advertising (opening lecture about sexism, gender
stereotypes, gender equality)
10:30-11:30: Sexist advertising – the
situation in Central Europe (NGOs – Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria)
11:30-12:00: coffee break
12:00-12:20: Advertisers and CSR
(lecture)
12:20-12:40: Ethics and advertising – Advertising Ethics
(Lecture about Hungarian advertising regulations – Hungarian Self-regulatory
Body of Advertisers)
12:40-13:30: lunch break
13:30-15:00: Is it
„just” funny or sexist? And whose responsibility? (Round-table with advertisers,
PR and marketing experts, NGOs, the Hungarian Advertisers Association – study
cases, complaints)
15:00-16:00: Public places – whose space?
(Round-table on consumer awareness, the use and misuse of public places –
Consious Consumers’ Association, NGOs, sociologist)
15:00-16:00: Preparing toolkit and recommendations about
advertising ethics and sexist advertising with the participation of advertisers,
regulatory bodies, NGOs, and experts
16:00-16:30: Closing
Location
Gödör Klub
Cultural Centre
and Park at Erzsébet Square, Budapest V. Erzsébet tér
Opening
hours
From the 11th June to the 15th July, 2007, 16-24 every day,
week-ends too
The visiting is free!
The exhibition presents photos of Polish, Czech, Slovakian and
Hungarian sexist billboards in the urban environment. This exhibition had been
organized already in the Czech Republic and Poland, so Hungary is the 3rd venue.
It’s material consists those of the „In Our Faces” exhibition organized at the
City Hall of Prague, Czech Republic in September 2005, and those of the „Before
Our Eyes” exhibition in Wroclaw, Poland in June 2006, completed with Hungarian
and Slovak photographs. The exhibition will be opened on the 11th of June 2007
by an opening party with a press conference participating the foreign partners’
delegations.
Our goal is to stimulate a discussion about the relation between degrading images, sexist advertising and the right for gender equality. Emphasis will be put on the role and responsibility of the media in democracy. At the exhibition visitors will face images from our streets and public places and will see how we are bombarded with negative gender stereotypes each day. Our hope is that it will support and encourage citizens to act and feel responsible for what is exposed in our public areas.
During the opening hours of the exhibition supplemental programmes will be available, like creative programmes for families at week-ends, guided visiting of the exhibition, showing of documentary films.