Backlash over 'out of touch' and 'sexist' contraception posters asking women to choose between high heels and lipstick or dummies

This image of one of the posters was issued with a press release in July
Jacob Jarvis16 September 2018

An NHS trust's poster campaign promoting contraception has prompted a fierce backlash for being "out of touch" and "sexist".

One of the advertisements depicts an image of high heels and lipstick above a pink dummy.

It asks “would you give up this?”, in regards to the first objects, “for this?” referring to the item for infants.

It then gives details of how to obtain emergency contraception.

A similar poster, issued by the same body, Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, shows a games console controller with a blue dummy.

The Walsall Healthcentre NHS Trust has apologised and said it would review the materials.

It said the campaign ended on September 2 and that it "did not refer to gender."

One poster advised using condoms while the other gave details of getting emergency contraception
Getty Images

It posed the same conundrum, a choice between the items, as the other ad.

There was information on collecting free condoms alongside the imagery and it included the slogan “bware da baby trap - use a condom”.

Nicola Thorp, equality campaigner and former Coronation Street star, said the posters showed the service was “out of touch”.

Speaking to the Standard, she said: “Teens need to feel that they will be taken seriously, rather than being profiled by outdated stereotypes. These posters trivialise parenthood. And what it is to be a teenager.”

Caroline Farrow, a columnist who described herself as "an unashamed pro-life campaigner" and saw the adverts on social media, said she was “appalled” by them for “a number of reasons”.

She expressed her problem with the “negative light into which they cast parenthood” and that the message, in her opinion, is that “babies are an undesirable burden” she was struck by the “blatant sexism and stereotyping” between the posters.

Others have critiqued the images across social media, branding the imagery “ludicrous” and “sexist”.

One wrote: "Advertising emergency contraception is, of course, important for effective sexual health provision, for all ages. However, the ludicrous image chosen for this campaign from Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust is a reductive representation of child-free women 'verses' [sic] motherhood."

Another said the poster with heels was "really not okay".

Nicola Wenlock, divisional director of midwifery, gynaecology and sexual health for Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, responded to the campaign following the fallout from it.

She said: “In creating this particular advertising campaign - which ran over the school summer holiday period - Walsall Integrated Sexual Health worked hard to understand the teenage pregnancy audience to make sure that the communication was relevant, effective and focused.

“We apologise if this particular advertisement has raised a concern, the intent was to raise awareness of emergency contraception and advice available for those in this age group who wish to avoid unwanted pregnancies."

She added that the campaign had played "an important role" in "tackling teenage pregnancy and poor sexual health", stating this had reduced year-on-year in the area.

The trust will "work closely with all audiences" to meet their needs and "review all materials closely for future campaigns,” she concluded.

The advert including high heels and lipstick have details of how to get the emergency contraceptive pill
Getty Images

The trust detailed that the campaign finished on September 2 and also stated that the posters “do not refer to gender”.

A statement issued in July detailed that the posters appeared "on 45 buses covering the Walsall area".

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in