Closure of Hooters 'breastaurant' is a welcome step for women

[redqueen]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/feb/09/closure-of-hooters-breastaurant-welcome

Feminist anger did not close Hooters down in Bristol, but the threats we got show how such places help dehumanise women

A woman went to the police this week after receiving violent threats from fans of online lad's mag "Unilad". Like many, I was shocked and disturbed by the vitriolic attacks on women by the website and its supporters. Little did I expect that a few days later I would also be on the phone to the police, reporting online threats and harassment.

Back in 2010, self-styled "breastaurant" Hooters applied for a licence to open in Bristol. The Bristol Feminist Network and Bristol Fawcett launched a campaign objecting to the licence. We believe that Hooters contributes to the normalisation of the sexual objectification of women – a normalisation that negatively impacts on women's self-esteem and leads to an increased tolerance of sexual harassment and violence. Our campaign was unsuccessful. We were told by the licensing committee that a business whose USP is scantily clad women serving hot wings offered "something really different to Bristol". However, just over a year later, Hooters announced that it had closed.

Let's be clear. Hooters closed not because of pressure from feminists (if that was the case, it would never have opened) but because the managing company went into administration. It wasn't making the profit it needed and was involved in a dispute with another business. Bristol residents chose not to go there and it didn't make money.

...

This blogger in the UK praised the decision, and can you guess what she got for it? That's right, threats and abuse.

This is a serious problem. Women who speak up for their interests are being abused and threatened.

The widespread effort to silence these women is not funny, it is a serious problem.

[hlthe2b]

1. Write an editorial in a US newspaper excoriating Hooters and, sadly, I'd predict some of the same...

We still have a very disturbing abusive faction among some men (and unfortunately also among some women who would defend THEM)....

Women who do speak out and try to effect change are worthy of respect... Despite what Santorum and the RWers like to say, that kind of courage of conviction is the very reason women deserve an equal role in the military and everywhere else.

[redqueen]

5. It would surprise me if it wasn't worse here, actually.

Over here those places don't close due to a lack of customers.

[Zalatix]

2. Keyboard cowards.

Betcha those threat-mongering idiots aren't even a threat to their Cheetos* much less a real woman.

* edited: unless their mom is there to hand-feed the horrified snacklets to these cowardly maggots.

[redqueen]

8. Did you check out the screen cap at the link?

Also it's not just kids participating in the rampant online abuse... some of the comments directed at this girl were from self-described older men.

[Zalatix]

16. The police should visit them all.

Old or young that'll soil their knickers and unlearn them of their ways.

Not saying they're never a threat, but it's downright rare even among adult threatmongering idiots that one will emerge from their hole to act on these remarks.

Most of it can be sorted out with a knock on the door from the cops.

[Permanut]

3. K&R for an excellent post and responses

These people - who snipe at those with true courage from behind their keyboards - are cowards. Thanks for the alert, Redqueen, this needs to be exposed every time it happens.

[redqueen]

9. If I exposed it every time it happened I'd have time for little else.

Every female blogger who dares to threaten certain aspects of society gets deluged with this kind of treatment.

[stockholmer]

15. "If I exposed it every time it happened I'd have time for little else"

sounds like a deposition from a defrocked priest case........................

[Hepburn]

4. Hey, wanna talk about the US?

Take a look at "escort" sites. Totally ignored.

[redqueen]

10. There's a lot of money involved in those cases...

much more than at a specialty restaurant intended to capitalize on overly sexualized waitresses.

[Cali_Democrat]

6. I never liked Hooters

The food sucks.

[redqueen]

11. I've had their wings...

I'd never set foot in one, but they've tried to drum up business by delivering a batch of free wings now and then.

And yeah I agree, IMO it sucks.

[LanternWaste]

25. I used to go quite often with some friends

I used to go quite often with some friends, but after a while (and a few conversations with still another friend), I began to see it for what it was (note: this was in the mid-nineties). Only took three or four very emphatic "no thank you, that's not my kind of place" before they began copping an attitude about it, and joking that I was a prude.

Fast forward to three years ago when one of the friends found out his daughter applied there for part time work. He was a bit 'upset' at that prospect. Of course, he still goes-- he simply doesn't let his daughter go.


(Wings from Chili's are less expensive and much better...)

[redqueen]

28. Oh yes, the peer pressure to conform with traditionally gender-based behavior...

where would we be without it.

I wonder how much time he spent thinking about that twinge of cognitive dissonance. Since he doesn't allow her to go, it seems there's still some disconnect there.

[Nye Bevan]

7. I understand that their waitresses wore shorts and T-shirts. That is just disgusting.

Waitresses need to wear long pants and baggy clothing that conceals the shape of their body. People go to restaurants to enjoy the food, not to be distracted by the waitresses. And think of the children. Seeing a waitress wearing shorts and a T-shirt could psychologically scar them for life.

Very good riddance, Hooters.

[redqueen]

12. False dichotomy.

Hyperbole.

Lame.

[Kellerfeller]

29. If you don't like Hooter, don't go to Hooters.

I believe I may have heard that before in abortion discussions...

[redqueen]

30. Duh. That's what happened in Bristol (Yay Bristol!), and when anyone said they were happy about it

they were abused and threatened.

Would you care to comment on the subject of the OP?

[Kellerfeller]

33. Sure

Threats are wrong. Just because someone disagrees with another person, threats of personal violence are always wrong. No questions.

[Whisp]

13. then why don't waiters show their cheek cleavage

and ballsack silhouettes while serving dinner to guests?

you don't get it, I know.
naked or burqas, no in between, right?
whore or madonna, no inbetween, right?

[Nye Bevan]

14. All cleavage is disgusting and unacceptable.

Whether it's a plumber's butt crack or a waitress's decolletage.

[chrisa]

17. I would never go there, but I think it has the right to exist

Just like strip clubs, etc.

[redqueen]

32. That's not what the OP is about, though.

It's not about whether or not women should be objectified to draw customers in to eat crappy food.

It's whether or not when women are happy that such a place closes down due to lack of said customers, they should be subjected to abuse and threats.

And the larger issue is about women who speak up about *any* feminist issue (that most people disagree with) are treated this way, and that we should consider it a problem, that people are trying to intimidate and silence women this way.

[Permanut]

18. It's not about the cleavage

or the exposure. It's about the objectification of women, the "normalisation that negatively impacts on women's self-esteem and leads to an increased tolerance of sexual harassment and violence". The threats, the abuse, the harassment.

[redqueen]

21. Exactly.

establishments like Hooters and communities like Unilad are contributing to the normalisation of this degradation, this violent language, this view of women as objects

[Nye Bevan]

23. Precisely. OBVIOUSLY waitresses wearing shorts and T-shirts leads to violence.

Every time I have visited an Amish-run restaurant, I have never seen any violence.

[Snake Alchemist]

19. Their uniforms are rather tame. I've seen worse on hostesses at Friday's. nt

[ProgressiveProfessor]

31. Key Point

Nothing is really on display at a Hooters. The sizzle is not there, the cake is a lie. Despite that, I understand those who object to the concept.

At this point in my life, the food is such that I won't eat there, even take out.

[Snake Alchemist]

34. I used to like their fries.

But your average cute waitress at any restaurant will be showing more skin.

[geardaddy]

20. Good for Bristol.

Do you think it was a marketin ploy to open a Hooters in Bristol because of the name of the city?

[redqueen]

22. I doubt it.

I'd think it's just another attempt to cash in on the commodification of women. (And before anyone starts I know there's advertisements with sexy men as props, but it is 500x more often the case that it is women's bodies which are commodified.)

[geardaddy]

24. Oh I know. I just thought it was an interesting coincidence that it was Bristol

since Bristols is a euphemism for women's breasts.

[redqueen]

26. Oh! LOL...

If I'd known that I'd have said perhaps... I didn't know it was a slang term for women's breasts.

[geardaddy]

27. Yeah, it's rhyming slang

"Bristol Cities = t*tties"

e.g., She's got a nice pair of Bristols.

[muriel_volestrangler]

35. It's what made the naming of Palin's daughter even more hilarious (nt)