The Femmes Solidaires have claimed that postcards, which they say are “sexist and sometimes pornographic,” portray women as an “object that can be consumed and thrown away under the pretext of leisure and entertainment.”
READ MORE: France Bans Cat-Calling After Man Attacks Woman Standing Up to Sexual Remarks
While on their crusade to ban the cards, the group took to Twitter to encourage its 30,000 members and other supporters to look out for “sexist” postcards and report where they are being sold.
Les cartes postales sexistes sont aussi en vente à #Arcachon 🙈 Avec @Femmessolidaire dites STOP⛔️ #GenerationNonSexiste #NeRienLaisserPasser pic.twitter.com/dT7l8v8DhC
— Sophie Panonacle (@SoPanonacle) 4 августа 2018 г.
TWEET: “The postcards are also being sold in Arcachon. Say stop along with @Femmessolidaire.”
Some of the most popular postcards depict women from behind wearing bikinis, with the caption “Big Kisses From Roussillon,” while another card features a female cyclist in a thong.
1/2 #GenerationNonSexiste #StopCultureDuViol
— Femmes solidaires (@Femmessolidaire) 1 августа 2018 г.
Carte#1 en vente près de chez vous! @MarleneSchiappa @HCEfh @dabousquet @FrancoiseNyssen @csaudiovisuel pic.twitter.com/jtXffaNyVI
While the feminists have claimed that the postcards “contribute to a culture of rape that imposes a degrading image of women and helps to legitimize and normalize violence against women,” their initiative to ban the cards seems to not have found support on social media.
#GenerationNonSexiste #StopCultureDuViol
— Femmes solidaires (@Femmessolidaire) 2 августа 2018 г.
Carte#2 En vente près de chez vous! @MarleneSchiappa @HCEfh @RenaudMuselier @Tourisme_PACA @bleuvaucluse pic.twitter.com/IR20rEDyXq
The majority of Twitter users didn’t endorse the idea, with some suggesting that the “hysteria” around the postcards allegedly nourishing a “culture of rape” must be stopped…
TWEET: «We need to stop the hysteria there! Women who pose for these kind of ads or others are not poor girls who need you, they decided to make these pictures, you are not to impose your views on anyone, especially not on other women.”
Faut arrêter l'hystérie là! Les femmes qui posent pour ce genre d'objets pubs ou autre ne sont pas de pauvres filles qui ont besoin de vous, elles font le choix de faire ces photos, vous n'avez pas à imposer à qui que ce soit vos vues à ce sujet, surtout pas aux autres femmes
— zoe draquin (@ZDraquin) 2 августа 2018 г.
TWEET: “If a sexy card is a problem for you, it's all about you, you have to be twisted to see a ‘rape culture’.”
Si une carte sexy vous pose problème ça vous regarde, il faut être tordu.e pour y voir une "culture du viol".
— KidCreole86 (@JohnSpoty) 2 августа 2018 г.
Some said the members of the group should find something else to do rather than launching a campaign that “no one cares about”:
TWEET: “Get a life.”
achetez vous une vie.
— wrong turn (@wrongturn666) 2 августа 2018 г.
TWEET: “Stop a culture of people who do not know what to do with their lives and fill this void by embarking on ridiculous fights that no one cares about. Give them a gameboy or anything to keep them occupied.”
Stop à la culture des gens qui ne savent pas quoi faire de leur vie et comblent ce vide en se lançant dans des combats ridicules dont tout le monde se fout. Offrons leur une gameboy ou n’importe quoi pour les occuper
— ParizMagic (@ParizMagic) 5 августа 2018 г.
TWEET: “Thank you for posting these postcards, which I would have never seen even if I went to a gift shop, every day. That's a good job girls!”
Merci de poster chaque jours ces cartes postales que je n'aurai jamais vu même si j'étais allé dans une boutique de touriste. Ca c'est du bon boulot les filles! pic.twitter.com/oHuDG63yge
— habeliar (@habeliar) 3 августа 2018 г.
Others suggested that it’s the Femmes Solidaires group that needed to be “banned” rather than the postcards:
TWEET: “Yes, I'm for the ban of the Femmes Solidaires.”
oui, je suis pour l'interdiction des femmes solidaires!
— Pachot (@BernardPachot) 3 августа 2018 г.
TWEET: “Yes, we need to prohibit this group.”
Oui, il faut interdire cette association 🤢
— jeanjean☝🏻🌞 (@C1cnprehensibl1) 3 августа 2018 г.
The feminist campaign against “sexist” postcards came shortly after the French parliament adopted a legislation outlawing sexual violence and harassment in public, envisaging on-the-spot fines of up to 750 euros (about $870) for perpetrators.
READ MORE: French Woman Slapped in Public Amid Gov't Bid to Stop Street Harassment (VIDEO)
The bill was passed just days after a young French woman was slapped in public when she responded to lewd noises, comments and whistles from a passer-by. The incident sparked a nationwide outcry, with French Equalities Minister Marlene Schiappa calling for a stronger political response to street harassment.
