“Hooters” is a euphemism for breasts in common parlance 
Hooters is an American restaurant chain specialising in beer, wings and “beautiful girls”.
Beautiful girls with beautiful Hooters, of course.
In its latest move to further market its brand and help the “desperate” club, Hooters has hooked up with an under 16 boys football team on the Gold Coast, with sponsorship in the form of money and two cheerleaders in tight Hooters tops and shorts, to cheer the boys on.
I was on Sunrise yesterday on the issue. I argued that embedding busty mascots in with 15 and 16 year old boys taught them that women are really part of the entertainment and rewards of playing the game. Why can’t boys just get on with the game without the dancing girls? We have seen so many times, evidence of demeaning views about women by too many sportsmen in this country. And too often, abusive behaviour has been made possible through a culture of collusion within male dominated sporting bodies. I’ve written about this before .
[vimeo]http://www.vimeo.com/11462804[/vimeo]
I’d be very interested to know if Australian Hooter employees have to agree to the conditions in the Hooters employment handbook as revealed in 2006.
Female employees are required to sign that they “acknowledge and affirm” the following:
Reading these conditions, it’s like the girls are to be seen as some kind of Western chicken wing chain version of geishas. But what if they do find this demeaning? What if ‘joking and entertaining conversation’ becomes code for sexual jokes and harassment? What happens then?
Reducing women to their breasts can never advance equality and fair treatment for women. And that’s something Hooters will never be able to teach 15 and 16 year old boys – or any man.
12 Responses
“The Hooters concept is based on female sex appeal and the work environment is one in which joking and entertaining conversations are commonplace.”
So sexual harassment is written into their job description. That is actually a common defence from those who harass women, they were “joking.”
What if the women were to complain? “well you did sign that form which says you understand joking and entertaining conversations are commonplace.”
But the bigger issue is combining this with the young footballers. They too will understand that such treatment of women is “joking and entertaining conversation.”
I think we should write to the AFL about this. I will find the details and repost.
Concerned locals have called our radio station about this. Some callers were almost embarrassed to say they don’t want their teenage grandson hooting at hooters. How can it possibly be shamed to object to the promotion of objectification?
The very men we are forming in our society are now being encouraged not see the woman in her completeness, but ready and waiting to please him and as a result relationship with a focus on self-pleasure or self-fulfilment can develop. Some of these men may wake up one day wondering why they have trouble in relationship, perhaps because subconsciously and conciously they have not seen the person, they’ve seen their gateway to pleasure.
Maybe they haven’t found a ‘soul-mate’ because promotions like hooters, added to sexualized advertising messages, the mainstreaming of porn, and a confused sexual ‘freedom’ have encouraged them to leave the ‘soul’ out of the equation.
But hey, let’s not look to far ahead, it’s just a bit of a hoot, isn’t it? (sarcasm)
I am upset for the boys too. Maybe I am reading too much into the picture, but my first impression was that some of them look decidedly uncomfortable. If they were and spoke up, would they be ridiculed and shamed? We lock women and girls in by the messages given here, but the boys are being coerced into a stereotype too. Both sexes lose out – young people lose out.
and when did Hooters become a “family restaurant”? – who in their right mind would take their children to a restaurant with scantily clad waitresses? obviously the same ones who thought it was ok to have their children appear in the photo – how demeaning for these young boys to be used this way to once again to promote raunch culture. What has happened to the sensibility of parents that allows them to think that it is ok to have your children placed in this situation.
I agree that Hooters associating itself with an under 16 groups is disturbing, although I do not object to the right for Hooters to exist. Personally, I wouldn’t patronise such an establishment if there was one near me.
However, it seems to me there is a big elephant in the room here. Hooters is involved with one football team; this is 20 something boys in total. None of the boys have been physically harmed, but, depending on the rest of their education, may develop unhealthy attitudes towards women.
There is another world wide patriarchal organisation with Australian outlets that thinks feminism* is something that needs to be cracked down on, but will not properly deal with the rapes of its female staff# or children in its care**. In the last 60 years staff at this organisation have raped over 10,000 children in the United States alone##. None of the offenders had any real punishment. In Victoria, the past 14 years have seen over 300 abuses by over 100 staff members*#. In that time, only one staff member was expelled from the organisation, the rest have been allowed to continue working. The organisation even went out of its way to inform abusers#* that police were investigating them, to enable them to cover their tracks.
This is made all the more sickening because the Australian taxpayer helps to fund this organisation through tax exemptions***. This organisation is one of, if not the, largest private land owner in Australia, largely through gifts of land from the government. It is one of the richest organisations in the world, largely because it does not pay taxes anywhere. This organisation is, of course, the Catholic Church.
Where is the outrage? 20 odd under 16s in one football club who may have future relationship problems, compared to potentially thousands of actual rapes across Australia partly funded by us taxpayers. Surely it is better to concentrate on helping the largest number of endangered children from a single terrible organisation before concentrating on a relatively small group who may, at some future time, have unrealistic expectations of women? Additionally, I can protest Hooters involvement by not patronising the stores and complaining about them. The football club could have refused their support. However, none of us have any choice in our tax dollars supporting the Catholic Church and the evil they have actually committed.
* http://www.kuow.org/program.php?id=20169
# http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/vatican-confirms-report-of-sexual-abuse-and-rape-of-nuns-by-priests-in-23-countries-688261.html
** http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_sex_abuse_cases
## http://www.usccb.org/nrb/nrbstudy/nrbreport.htm#johnjay
*# http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/300-abuse-cases-one-defrocking-20100421-szz6.html
#* http://www.theage.com.au/national/investigations/abusive-priest-was-told-of-police-investigation-20090809-ee9h.html
*** http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=7592
Here’s some more reading about the “family restaurant” where families get to focus on the bodies of their waitresses. *shudder*
Quotes from the official Hooters Calendar, November 2000.
• We are thankful we don’t understand anything Nietzche wrote.
• We are thankful there are no Hooters guys.
• We are thankful for every day we wake up without a chalk outline around our bodies.
• We are thankful that wrinkles don’t hurt.
How brainwashed our some of society become? Sooooo very sad. I talk regularly to my children (daughter 12 and son 10) about the many aspects that makes a person (male and or female) valuable – which does not include looks/body size , they are aware of lots of aspects that may contribute to any and every persons worth/value, and are very savvy as to how society in general and media are sending out the wrong message. (ie we need to appear slim/sexy and “ready for it”. Recently my 12yo old daughter was instructed by her female homeroom teacher to bring in lollies for a party and $1.00 to contribute towards flowers for a classmates achievement. The classmate achieved great results in her cheer-leading abilities in a US competition!! As I don’t support cheer-leading (I consider that the girls are exploited to use their bodies entertain/ be eye candy ) – I am totally opposed!! (as is my very smart and educated daughter). Anyway we did not contribute the required $1.00. My daughter has been continually asked for the money and tearfully asked me to send up the money as her teacher keeps embarrassing her in front of other students(I would consider it bullying by now). I am soooo saddened! My daughter is now compromising her own beliefs and feels like she has buckled. I feel like her right to choose has been compromised. I am devastated also that each child in her class has been made to support a practice that is cheap and promotes the sexualisation of our children. In this instance, they have been “educated” (brainwashed) by their female teacher that cheer-leading (and all it represents) is something we ought celebrate. Even worse, if the children don’t support it, they are humiliated. Anyway – I will help my daughter stand tall on this issue and am now required to take the teacher to task, so my daughter’s choices can be respected, and the humiliation, at the teacher’s hands in front her classmates will cease. I do thoroughly comprehend that the girl in question has achieved something, which in itself should be acknowledged – I’m just so saddened that her achievements are based on faulty foundations in the first place.
Yet another example of watchable eye candy for young men. Why can’t they just let the guys enjoy sport and enjoy their youth? Obviously adults making decisions on behalf of lads again.
Why the need to have Hooter girls at games, and what is it teaching the young men?
Seemingly sport can’t be good without hooters girls, cheer leaders and the like in attendance. Bollocks! I enjoy going to games, but am someone who rolls my eyes when I see the ‘dancing girls’ in attendance. I have a friend who played for a well known footie team. Stories of his and other player’s conquests with the cheer leaders are raw and alarming.
Obviously some would argue no harm done? But as stated in the blog, there have been one too many incident with sporting teams and women – too many to count.
The FA (British Football Association) has a campaign called RESPECT which aim is to reduce anti-social behaviour both on and off the pitch. I am pleased that young men have access to this sort of program and that the FA are acknowledging there have been problems and doing something about it.
I saw the Sunrise segment that you were on, and was astonished by some of the comments made by Mel and Kochie ~ and the laughing etc. They said they only received one email in support of your view and many in support the sponsorship – they read the suporting email ~ and it wasn’t the one I sent, so I know they received at least 2 in support of your view!! Anyway one the segments that followed comprised of 3 ladies (including Ita Buttrose) discussing different social issues. The sponsorship issue came up and was shot down by 2 out of the 3 commentators!! Yay although 3 out of 3 would have been better of course. I think the more that can be voiced on such issues. I believe you have a whole lot more supporters than it seems ~ its just they don’t feel empowered (yet) to be able to do anything about it. I have been fighting this fight and voicing my concerns to anyone who will listen (then regard me as a left wing female lib lunatic). As i don’t really concern myself too much with what other ignorant, brainwashed folk feel, it has little impact on me. However that said the impact it has on them is fantastic, as even if only momentarily, they are forced to think outside the square, and may even eventually concede that they agree aswell. Go Melinda!!
Are you all for real………….these young boys see worse on TV, video games and the internet. From what Ive been reading some of you ladies have a real problem with your own sexuality and personalities.
If you all have a problem with women wearing skimpy outfits then I suggest you move to a country that demands you cover yourself…………see how you like living in those conditions
Dave,
I would address your argument if I knew exactly what it was.
I would never go into a Hooters restaurant (and that was even before the excerpt from its “values” … what a joke) … so I’d like to not be taken to a Hooters restaurant when attending a kids football game.
It’s just inappropriate and unnecessary – and for all those people worried about people pushing their values onto other and quashing their liberties, spare a thought for the boys in the football team that did not choose for their team to be sponsored by a corporation that tells women that they are worth nothing more than the size of their hooters. How embarrassing.