Dehumanizing promotion with swimsuit-wearing women

If this is a commercial establishment’s way of spreading summer fun, I would like to burst its bubble right this minute. I’ve seen efforts to mark different events, seasons or occasions of the year with some bright marketing plans. Some are good but this particular summer bonanza celebration, using two “babes of summer” clad only in two-piece swimwear, is, I most respectfully say, really OFF.

The promo calls for customers to buy at least P3,000 worth of grocery items, to get a chance to play and have their photo taken with these young ladies with a summery beach background. Oh, heck!

Doesn’t this smack of outright objectification of the young women? Shouldn’t the planners/managers have predicted that the inappropriateness of attire of these young women in a place like that can invite ridicule or some snide remarks from passersby or curious onlookers?

Like this small boy who was pushing his dad to go and have his picture taken with the ladies

already … or like the baggers and cart boys who were snickering among themselves after scoring the lady who was slim and fit as a perfect 10 and the other lady who was a little bit more fleshy as somewhere near the mid score of 6—and then burst into seriously ugly laughter, at the expense of the two young ladies.

I believe that these two young ladies deserve respect. I do not know how else I can make this

issue be felt and expressed; I just know that if others see that this kind of promo is just a lot of fun, then this calls for some serious thought on that thing called human dignity.

I hope that, through your paper, I may be able to reach the right people who can do something about this.

—CRISMA CAMARA-MINA,

[email protected]