Air NZ recently launched a publicity campaign designed to appeal to single women over the age of 35, portraying them as sexual predators on the hunt for young men.
There is a somewhat funny and accurate video in the article that depicts the women in their natural habitat, and describes them as voracious nocturnal predators.
Women’s groups, however, including a local representative of the rape industry, growled and bared their fangs when they caught wind of the marketing effort. Kim McGregor, head of New Zealand’s “Rape Prevention Education” called it “appalling, disgusting and degrading to women.”
Nevertheless, scores of women have sent in photos of themselves with younger men in an effort to win prizes, including free tickets and cougar costumes.
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How interesting that a group named Rape Prevention Education objects, first and foremostly, to the advert’s (rather accurate) portrayal of women, rather than its portrayal of a man being raped by a woman.
Oh, I’m sure that Rape Prevention Education is entirely impartial, and totally doesn’t privilege female victims over male victims. /sarcasm
This ad is pretty hilarious, and is basically the female equivalent of the “bald old dude seeking hot bimbo” theme.
On a side note: I am wondering how many of these “cougars” are basically desperate women at the limit of their reproductive span, seeking a “sperm donor”. Of course, they could just visit the local sperm bank, but that wouldn’t entitle them to a child support check..
LOL that was funny as hell. What comes around goes around, ladies.
I actually thought it was pretty funny. But I’m not the most PC person out there.
If the part about the male rape survivors is true (and I have trouble believing anything a feminist says) then I’m going straight to hell for laughing at this.
I think the joke is on the women in this one. Bringing up male rape survivors sort of misses the point.
Ever since the
Lord of the Rings
franchise dried up
New Z needs to find some way
to fund it’s Maori homemade distilleries.
So it’s all that to women when they are on the hunt. It’s also all that (always) to men when they are looking for women . So coming or going it’s men’s fault and it’s “degrading to women” no matter if women are the hunted or on the hunt. Hmmmm
I’m sure these same women also oppose all those anti-male ads that abound…………right?
I can see why it would upset the feminists: it shines too bright a light on the female’s true nature, and reality is anathema to them.
Now for some links. Here is the ad campaign homepage, and Youtube hosts the advertisement in 1080p HD.
I took the quiz, and it turns out I’m not a cougar. I am very disappointed about this.
As a 42yo single woman, I laughed aloud at the ad. It nails the behaviour of some women, and takes the piss out of the women’s groups that sit around “supporting” them.
The counsellor, the bit about providing safety for the young men, all that plays on what happens for women.
As for how the cougar is portrayed, it’s spot on. I’ve known women who were just like that. There are some desperate old slappers out there.
Some are looking for a sperm donor, some are looking to just get laid, because they can’t imagine not getting laid. Some do it for the thrill of the chase, and the notches.
And some are looking for love.
And older women should not wear red lipstick. Sorry, that’s just wrong.
@21Guns…
Take it from a male survivor that it is true.
The mockery, the derision and, sometimes, the hatred that male victims endure is a big part of that.
@gwallan
I’m sorry to hear that. The reason I was skeptical was because Kim McGregor’s comment sounded too much like “See, men think it’s offensive too!” and I had to wonder. It’s a shame that a legitimate concern is getting drowned out by the usual cacaphony of women’s whining.
@21Guns…
There is an element of what you suggest. Almost as though the male victim is secondary, an afterthought. I have sent correspondence to her and the airline. Could be interesting. To be honest even being secondary is an improvement. A lot of these services still really only pay lip service to male victims and often they default to a belief that males only suffer from same sex abuse.
The so-called “cougar” often targets teenage boys as young as fifteen or less(my early experience was as a prepubescent child – one of my aunts – although I was in a relationship with a decade older woman at seventeen so I have some empathy). There’s a lot of ignorance about how dangerous it can actually be for the kid in the long term.
The groups that most disagrees with parodies are those who know that said parodies nailed it.
Said parodies need to stop being truth, ladies. And I don’t think that bitching is going to have much effect in this case.
Indeed …
They can stop all portrayals of this kind of thing.
It won’t stop men from seeing, with their own eyes, that things are this way.
Welmer – a couple of articles, some grist for the mill; yourself or someone on this website might want to check out and write about these recent articles in the NYT:
- http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/19/us/19marriage.html – “More Men Marrying Wealthier Women”
- http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/18/world/europe/18iht-women.html?em – “In Germany, a Tradition Falls, and Women Rise”
So what is wrong with older women and younger men? Everyone needs love. I am well into middle age and it is true for me- why not the couger?
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