FCKH8: Drop F-Bombs for Feminism
F-Bombs for Feminism: Potty Mouthed Princesses Use Bad Words for a Good Cause is a video launched by the organization FCKH8 on October 21, 2014.[1][2] The campaign was launched as a video shared online to draw attention to issues of sexism and gender inequality. The video became a video following many viewers stating that the organization objectified young girls in order to get their message across.[3]
Synopsis[edit]
The video consists of young girls aged six to thirteen talking about the gender inequality that is found in society. It opens with various young girls saying the word "pretty", all wearing pink dresses and tiaras before exclaiming that girls are not supposed to be seen as helpless "princesses in distress". The video then asks which is more offensive: young girls saying words like "fuck", or the gender inequality that occurs in today's society. The various girls then go on to cover many different topics of sexism, including pay inequality, rape and sexual assault in gender-based violence. They give out specific facts related to gender inequality, such as women being paid twenty-three U.S. cents less to the man's full dollar on average, as well as one in five women being subject to sexual assault at some point in their lifetime. After the girls discuss the various facts on these given topics, the video cuts to grown women who work for the FCKH8 organization, and the T-shirts they are selling, with $5 of the proceeds from the pro-feminist shirts going to different charities. The video finally shows a young boy, wearing the same style of princess dress, who calls out those who say "acting like a girl" is a bad thing.
Throughout the video various different curse words are used repeatedly and with emphasis.[4]
Response[edit]
F-Bombs for Feminism was released on October 21, 2014 on FCKH8's social media accounts and since its release the video had been viewed millions of times on both YouTube and Facebook.[5][6] The video was temporarily removed from YouTube and Vimeo due to the strong negative reactions.[7]A spokesperson from FCKH8 has defended the video and its takedown by saying "The video does not violate any user guidelines and with all the sexist content on both sites that is allowed to stay up, as well as content that uses this simple four-letter word, we are surprised that they chose to censor it. This censorship gets to the exact point that the girls in the video are making ... that society finds it more offensive for a girl to say fuck than they do the fact that 1 out 5 women are sexually assaulted and raped."
Critical reception to the video was predominantly negative, with much of the criticism centering on claims that the video capitalized upon feminist values as part of a marketing campaign to sell t-shirts.[8] The Christian Science Monitor and feminist website Jezebel both criticized the campaign,[2] with the Christian Science Monitor stating that while the campaign worked as part of a marketing strategy, the campaign "betrays a social media marketing perspective devoid of ethics. The video’s ethos is so steeped in a “Generation Like” mindset that having the video widely “liked” and “shared” is clearly what matters most—resulting in the company’s decision to push girls as young as age six into the roles of cultural provocateurs."[9] The Washington Post responded to the video with similar concerns as other critics, posting that they felt the video was "provoking solely for provocation’s sake" and that the company "has built a veritable empire by throwing the veil of social good over more capitalist ambitions."[10] They also noted that FCKH8 had received criticism earlier that year from ColorLines, who heavily criticized a similar campaign that sold t-shirts relating to the Ferguson shootings.[11][10]
In contrast, Amanda Hess of Slate remarked that the video's effectiveness stemmed from YouTube videos that featured children cursing, as it is "fun to watch girls and boys shatter precious princess tropes and refreshing to see little kids straightforwardly announce the necessity of feminism at a time when grown men and women are still tip-toeing around the word."[12] She commented upon FCKH8's sale of t-shirts saying that "it's hard to criticize cute little kids, even when the statistics they spit out about the pay gap and the rates of sexual assault are a little fuzzy, and mining political causes to sell T-shirts is a little crass. Well-played, adults."[12]
References[edit]
- ↑ "'Potty-Mouth Princess' Director and Child Star's Mom Defend Controversial Campaign". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved 2016-07-01.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Faircloth, Kelly. "Cussing For Feminism Would Be Great If It Weren't For An Ad". Jezebel. Jezebel. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
- ↑ News, CNN. "Not So Cute: Little Girls Drop F-Bombs for Feminism". CNN News US. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
- ↑ "Potty Mouthed Princesses Drop F-Bombs for Feminism". Vimeo. FCKH8.com. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
- ↑ "Potty-Mouthed Princesses Drop F-Bombs for Feminism". YouTube. FCKH8. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
- ↑ "Potty Mouthed Princess Drop F-Bombs For Feminism". Facebook. FCKH8.com. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
- ↑ Vitto, Laura. "FCKH8's F-Bombs For Feminism Ad Reinstated on Youtube". Mashable. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
- ↑ "'F-Bombs for Feminism' Takes Cynical Trolling to Another Level". National Review. Retrieved 2016-07-01.
- ↑ Hains, Rebecca (2014-10-22). "'F-Bombs for Feminism': A viral video exploiting girls, not empowering them". Christian Science Monitor. ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved 2016-07-01.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Dewey, Caitlin (2014-10-23). "The many, many problems with FCKH8's 'potty-mouthed princess' video". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2016-07-01.
- ↑ "This is the T-Shirt Company Making Money Off of Ferguson". ColorLines. 2014-09-10. Retrieved 2016-07-01.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Hess, Amanda. "Watch Little Princesses Curse for the Feminist Cause". Slate. XX Factor: What Women Really Think. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
This article "FCKH8: Drop F-Bombs for Feminism" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
