Monday 19 December 2011

Unexpected free porn (not just Google bait, either)

We get a lot of free stuff in the office at this time of year. Not from my employer – chance would be a fine thing! - but from various suppliers. Nothing to alert the anti-bribery laws, of course, but little gifts. Some are genuinely just a friendly matter – there are companies we have worked with for years – and some are blatant corporate schmoozing. Whatever, bring on the free mince pies and our yearly Raffle Of The Booze.

We also get free calenders. I love free calenders. I have had Cute Baby Animals on mine all year, and I am going to be distraught if I don't get another one. That baby orangutan really brightened up August for me. So opening the post this month is a bit exciting – between the usual invoices/cheques/abuse complaint letters there are cards! and calenders! and random vouchers! Exciting. Best month of the year to be the post monkey.

A few days ago, I was opening the post. It was a smallish envelope, so I assumed it was usual paperwork. A moment later, I dropped it and squeaked.

“Disorientated Graduate?” a concerned colleague asked. “What's wrong?”

I am normally loquacious. I am the kind of person who likes clever wordplay, and saying six words when I can say two. So please understand my full horror when I tell you that the only thing I could think to say in reply was:

“BOOBS!”

That's right, we received a calender full of ladies who were tragically unable to find their clothing. As a free corporate gift that was presumably intended to be put up in the office.

There are people out there that buy soft porn calenders. There are people out there that produce soft porn calenders. I have some very conflicted views on the whole matter, but in essence I reluctantly feel that it's a part of human nature and frankly enough what you get up in to private is your own damn business. The bit that really struck me was that a company took the time and money to acquire pictures – and yes, it was all pictures of topless women- affix their branding, create a full calender, and send it all out with the Royal Mail to their paying customers. All of this was in a genuine effort to persuade companies to continue buying their products, and was sent out in the full belief this was appropriate marketing material.

Sorry, are we back in the 1970s and no one told me?!

I genuinely feel that nakedness is generally not appropriate in a work context, or at least not in the context of a workplace where high-visibility vests are necessary. So if it had been a calender with naked men, yes, I would still have been deeply offended. If it has been a mixture of men and woman, I would still be offended.

Honestly, though? It made me feel small. I wanted to shred the calender, phone the company up, and have a good shout in incandescent rage. I wanted to say that I was a woman in the workplace and that my contribution was valid, and I could do more than sit there in the corner, silently, with my boobs out. I wanted to say that receiving this calender unexpectedly was rude and upsetting. My female colleagues, who normally feel that this feminism lark is for lesbians and weirdos, were equally upset and genuinely shocked. We expressed this to our line manager.

What actually happened was this: the line manager gave it as a gift to the yard staff. I checked the companies details and it turns out that we owe them money for goods picked up this month, so I didn't shout at them as I am not bonkers enough to destroy relationships all that much.

Instead, I blogged about it. Go me. I mean, do other people thing that this is an appropriate inter-company gift? Did I over-react? Personally I think not, but perhaps that's just me.

--

Today Kim Jong-il died. I wrote the above post earlier, but I felt it needed mentioning, albeit in a very strange context.

5 comments:

  1. I'd type out a letter to them, asking that exact question---"are we back in the seventies and no one's told me, that your company sent that out in the full belief that it is appropriate marketing material?" possibly with something to the effect of "our workforce here does not consist solely of straight men and lesbians, nor does it consist primarily of pornhounds---at least, not in a professional capacity, which is what the workplace is for." and reiterating that you find it unprofessional and poorly suited to an environment such as the one you work in.

    Then get as many coworkers as you can to sign it, and send it.

    And then quietly make an attempt to switch suppliers, however that works with your industry.

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  2. who normally feel that this feminism lark is for lesbians and weirdos

    See, this is what pretty much everyone I know (apart from people I've met through you) thinks. Argh. Argh argh argh.

    One day, you will get to leave your job and you will dance a happy dance of joy.

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  3. I don't really think you necessarily overreacted, as sending a calendar like that is really thoughtless and sexist...

    ...But really, I'm sorry, I just absolutely have to comment on this part here:

    "I genuinely feel that nakedness is generally not appropriate in a work context"

    No, please no. No, no, no. This is one of those things that are so wrong in this world. It's precisely because the human body is banned in so many places in our culture that people treat it generally as a dedicated sex object:

    If people could see (images of) each others' nude bodies pretty much anywhere all the time, they would get completely used to it; our bodies wouldn't be a special porn treat anymore, they'd be just a normal everyday thing to see. Then people would no longer be so ashamed of having theirs seen, wouldn't be so obsessed with getting to see nakedness and wouldn't immediately think of sex every time they see a nipple or so.

    But, precisely because certain body parts are constantly banned under various excuses (not-safe-for-work) and as such are mostly only seen in porn, people will consider each others' bodies porn and therefore frequently treat those bodies (and often each other with them) as just that, sexual entertainment.

    So, no. Even though that calendar was a tasteless thing to send, in general "nakedness" that isn't overtly exploitive does belong everywhere, sometimes. Banning it entirely even from just work context will still stigmatize it, make it into a special forbidden fruit, and thus only encourage sexual objectification.

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  4. @Nectar: That is a really interesting perspective, actually, and possibly puts some light on my knee jerk reaction. Perhaps the way I should have phrased it was more than 'overt sexual nudity is not appropriate for work' (or at least, not appropriate for my work/industry) but I must admit I tend to fail feminism 101 on the nudity front because, well, I don't like it much. But that is my opinion, and the statement on body parts being banned is certainly an interesting.

    In the future, I will absolutely consider semantics, and I will try and be a little more openminded in terms of nudity, so thank you for the eye-opener.

    @tau_sigma: it will be a happy dance. With flailing.

    @Kyra: unfortunately, if I complained to the supplier I would very much risk my job within my company and with the current recession I can't risk it. Or at least, not at the moment. Once my company has paid the bill, the above advice is a very sensible one and I'll be off. In the meanwhile, I'm researching alternative suppliers to take to my employer for a few months down the line!

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  5. This is pretty clearly sexual harassment, and sexual harassment law DOES apply to vendors, customers, etc, and the fact that your manager behaved the way they did is a Serious Issue. I would go to HR if you have an HR department that sucks less than your manager, or if you are US, I would take it to the EEOC. This is extremely fucked up and illegal.

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