Today, The F-Word blog carries news that borderline sex-establishment restaurant chain Hooters are planning to open a new branch in Bristol, in premises sub-let from Marks & Spencer.
I am not in general opposed to such things as topless bars, strip clubs and so on, but I have a certain special dislike for the ethos of Hooters, which seems to sell deliberately the type of objectifying male-entitlement that causes so much harm. The very name of the business is redolent of dismissive, dehumanising reference to female sexuality and female bodies!
At the same time, would unemployed women be expected by the Jobcentre to apply for a job there? If the answer is "yes" then it could arguably be considered coerced sexual exploitation (because refusal to apply could result in a loss of social security benefits). If the answer is "no", then it would mean that national government, at least, acknowledges the sexual nature of the work (as they do with, for example, jobs at Ann Summers), even if the local government considers it to be "family-friendly". And if it is recognised as sex-related work, then we have the problem that in the current depressed economic climes, people are more desperate for work than they would otherwise be, meaning that for some, it will seem necessary to be subjected to the indignities of the Hooters brand and the treatment by customers that the presentation encourages (even if their words say otherwise), just in order to have a paying job. With the government intent upon putting the squeeze on the jobless as it is, how much more evidence of coercion do we need?
It seems to me that, at least by reputation, the Hooters brand represents a uniquely toxic and misogynistic environment that teaches and promotes a lack of respect for women's boundaries and bodily integrity. I have some issues about terms bandied about such as "rape culture", but inasmuch as that term has meaning, then it is brands like Hooters (and Nuts, and Zoo) that serve as bastions of that cultural imperative. The principle that it is natural for men to violate and disregard women's rights, and so they should not be criticised over much for doing so.
The advice in the comments on the F-Word post, on how to protest, is helpful; I have already emailed the Chairman of M&S to register my protest.
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