for a world free of sexploitation
Australia's Got Pole Dancers
There is a great discussion happening on the forum about "Australia's Got Talent." I think it deserves it's own blog entry!
Australia's Got Talent airs on Tuesday's at 7.30pm - which according to the media code of practice is a PG time slot. Australia's Got talent is apparently G rated. So it was a surprise for many to find a stripper routine feature as part of the 'talent.' The 'Pure Pole Angels' climbed poles, stripped off each other's skirts and flashed their crotches in as many different pole positions as they could. Kyle Sandilands commented that this was the best routine he'd seen and he'd 'seen a lot of pole dance' routines. Brian McFadden could hardly string a sentence together and the other male host commented that he thought he'd need to go to church after seeing the routine.
As predicted, despite all of the above, there have been claims that the pole dancing routine is not 'sexual.'
Firstly, Pole dancing is by it's nature 'sexual.' This is why it remains an integral part of the strip club scene where it originated. Pole dancing also features prominently at 'Sexpo' the annual (flesh) trade fair of the sex industry. 'Rato' commenting on this blog did some investigating and found that 'Girlfriend management' home of the 'Pure Pole Angels' hold regular displays at Sexpo.
The purpose of pole dancing is for women to show off their bodies to ogling men as they remove their clothes. However, lets investigate the claim anyway, that it's all 'non sexual sport' or that this particular performance was 'non sexual' with some pictures.
This was the first woman to leap onto the pole, crotch flash!
Oops! I lost my skirt. Actually the woman next to me just ripped it off. Nothin suss though, nothin sexual!
More spread legs! The woman on the right is about to throw her leg up onto the pole and spin around and around, again, giving the audience an eyeful.
If that's not enough to convince you, perhaps the words from their own website will. CS member Sheryl writing on her blog found this on the site of Girlfriend Management, home of the 'Pure Pole Angels':
“… it was in the Adult Entertainment Industry where the idea to teach pole dancing was born, and it is where most of our expertise lays.”
The inclusion of this act reflects the 'mainstreaming' of the sex industry. The values and attitudes of the sex industry have infiltrated our daily lives to the point where the 'family show' Australia's Got Talent now features a stripper routine. As I said in the forum discussion, it seems that whenever any part of the culture is criticised, advocates for those activities always point to something else that is 'so much worse.'
For example, comment on magazines and we are told "what about the internet!" Comment on the internet and we are told "what about advertisements and magazines?" Comment on advertisements and we are told "what kids see on the internet is so much worse."
Nobody is willing to take responsibility for what *they* contribute to what the American Psychological Association has termed the 'toxic culture' for girls. Nobody wants to admit that what they are doing is harmful to women and girls.
The sexual objectification of women is harmful to women and girls.
At Collective Shout we challenge anything that objectifies women, whether it be magazines, internet, advertising or television programs. No-one is let off the hook here, so here is what you can do:
If you saw the program last Tuesday here is information on how to make a complaint:
Going by the above link, it seems the best way to go about this is through the 'freetv' site:
If you've seen an ad for the program, you can make a complaint to the ad standards bureau.
http://www.adstandards.com.au/pages/page38.asp
http://www.adstandards.com.au/pages/page38.asp
As always, please let us know if you get a response.
Comment
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Comment by Collective Shout on June 10, 2010 at 7:08pm -
Those are great ideas Bern, we are looking at implementing all of those things in the near future.
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Comment by Bern on June 10, 2010 at 6:53pm -
perhaps collective shout could put together an online tutorial for writing letters or how to deal with the media to put forward our complaints. Could we have a section with links for where to send these letters? Would Collective Shout please us weekly/monthly newsletter covering this material with a followup of the campaigns we were asked to participate in. This will help keep up the interest especially when it comes to ads that you ask us to complain about.
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Comment by comsognatious on June 9, 2010 at 9:45pm
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on second thoughts i definitely agree that a mass produced letter campaign will not be as effective. perhaps if there was a section about what elements to include, like bern suggested, that will make a letter have the most impact.thanks guys.
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Comment by Collective Shout on June 9, 2010 at 2:03am
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Hi Ali, great that you made a complaint. I think it would be a good idea for Collective Shout to have something to assist people with letter writing, thanks for suggesting that. Although, as Bern said, it is important that the letter is personalised. Often if those receiving the letter get a sense that it is part of an organised campaign, they don't take it as seriously. Which is stupid, because everybody who has joined up here is an *individual* first and foremost, who cares enough to take action.
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Comment by Bern on June 9, 2010 at 1:20am
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As far as family tv shows go, Master Chef is making $100 million in advertising revenue via product placement on the show and using the time slot for advertising. It is the first show that we are able to watch as a family with small children with having a blurring of the moral boundaries. Tonight I saw a brief review of the final on the current affairs show and they had the pole dancing.
Ali great you complained but from my experience in politics, write your letter from a personal point of view that tells your point of view from how it affects your family and children. Tell you won't be watching again because I reckon they to hate to they don't have the ratings and won't make the money out of advertising during the show. Actually all 3 judges on that show are very ordinary.
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Comment by comsognatious on June 9, 2010 at 12:11am
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just made my first ever media content complaint - and boy it feels good!
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Comment by comsognatious on June 8, 2010 at 11:50pm
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I just joined up as well because of how terrible i thought this was. They also used an uncensored version of christina aguilera's candyman - totally vomit worthy. i was so dissapointed by the choice and the judges' reactions - i felt like we'd gone back 50 years. It would be good if you guys could post template letters that people could send as a complaint...
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Comment by Collective Shout on June 8, 2010 at 11:25pm
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Lauren, thanks so much for your encouragement, it really means a lot to us! We're so glad that you joined and that you are making your voice heard. Please let us know if/when you get a response to your complaint.
That is very interesting info Sheryl, so they are trying to be 'controversial' with a family show? Why can't they just be 'entertaining?' Have we forgotten what entertainment is?
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Comment by Lauren Thwaites on June 8, 2010 at 10:24pm
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I submitted an extensive complaint. It's horrible the way so many conditioned and de-sensitised people try to justify pole-dancing (and so many other things). I'm only nineteen years old and even I can clearly see how very wrong all of this is. I'm so glad Collective Shout has happened...I now have hope for a much better future.
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Comment by Sheryl Sarkoezy on June 8, 2010 at 9:01am
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I recall reading something about the AGT producer being ex Aust Idol, with a comment that he had brought Kyle into the AGT fold to promote controversy.
So, apparently, controversy (= ratings?) is more important than good taste.
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