Saturday, January 16, 2010

OverEasy: "Let's reduce women to their body parts"

I am late in putting this up, but our sharp reader, Dysgrace, wrote in to highlight a rather questionable event organised by a popular (so I hear) watering hole occurring this evening:

(For a larger version, see the original, or our copy.)
Dysgrace puts it to us simply:
feast your eyes on this brilliant idea from OverEasy. it's one of those 'let's reduce women to their body parts, objectify them, and then compare them while pretending to celebrate all body types' things. hah. in one's cups. more like poisoned chalice, can?
The animals on this farm are undecided on what sorts of action can be taken against OverEasy for their lousy marketing. While the common vote is to boycott the establishment, Angry Alpaca keenly reminds everyone that OverEasy is linked to a whole chain of other joints, such as The Loof, Timbre chain, Butter Factory Club, etc, so if we wish to hurt them monetarily, alcoholics out there may not have many popular options to quench their thirst.

So I recommend Cat in the Cream's strategy instead: bring your double-d friends there, and drink them out of profiteering. Building on that, you can also give them a good earful AFTER you get your bottle. Please feel free to puke all over the establishment as well.

(H/T Dysgrace.)

***
ETA - Complaining Cow informs me that I got it wrong. Lo and Behold Group runs OverEasy, and they're primarily in charge of Loof, OverEasy (in partnership with Butter Factory), White Rabbit and The Shack (previously KM8). (More info here.) I apologise for any confusion caused. (Sorry, Timbre!)

3 comments:

  1. (Looks like some people caught wind of this:)

    BOOZE for your BOOBS
    Nightspot's offer of free drinks for busty women has been called cheeky and distasteful
    By Bryna Sim and Tay Shi'an


    January 17, 2010





    FLAUNT your assets and get free drinks.
    TNP DESIGN: PRADIP KUMAR SIKDAR --TNP PICTURE: KUA CHEE SIONG


    The bigger your chest, the more free drinks you will get.

    That's the cheeky gimmick that local diner-cum-bar OverEasy at One Fullerton has come up with for its latest event Fill My Cups.

    A modest set of A-cups - we're talking bra size of course - gets one free drink, B-cups get two, C-cups get three, and D-cups get a free bottle of vodka.

    While some women think it's a novel marketing strategy, others insist they will not support it.

    Fill My Cups is happening tonight. Coupons will be given out and clubbers can redeem them for free drinks from 9pm to 11pm, while stocks last.The nightspot came up with the gimmick because its guest deejay for the night, an Australian, goes by the moniker of DJ DCUP. 'It was really a play on the guest DJ's name. When we heard that it was DCUP, we decided to give the event an added spin,' said Ms Cheryl Ho, spokesman for The Lo & Behold Group, which runs OverEasy and other F&B outlets like Loof and White Rabbit.

    Club: No touching, it's just visual test

    But how will they know for sure what cup size each woman is?

    Ms Ho explained to The New Paper there would be two 'mystery' judges at the event - Dave, a musician, and Karen, a lawyer - who will suss out each woman visually.

    'They are not boob experts, and neither are they from a bra company. They are our personal friends who will simply guess-timate as to the women's bra cup sizes,' said Ms Ho.

    She assured that all checks will be 'purely visual'.

    'We don't condone touch tests,' she said.

    Teasers - on Facebook, e-mails and posters put up in the club - publicised the promotion.

    The stunt had some women in stitches, while others are raising eyebrows. One student who wanted to be known only as Yvonne, 19, felt that she would be denigrating herself if she attended such an event.

    'I think the concept is funny but I would not degrade myself by being a part of it,' she said.

    She was not tempted by the prospect of having three free drinks although she said she was a C-cup.

    Student Lek Ning, 20, who considers herself a C-cup, said that she found the event hilarious.

    She did not think it would be 'embarrassing' to be judged visually on her bra cup size.

    'After all, I'm rather proud of my assets,' she said.

    ReplyDelete
  2. (continue from above.)

    President of the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) Dana Lam also considered the event 'demeaning'.

    'I'd laugh at the silliness (of this event) if I didn't know better. Women should think twice before popping themselves in there,' she said.

    Ms Lam also felt that the event organisers did not consider the 'safety and dignity' of female customers, as they might be 'subjecting themselves to molest and harassment'.

    In response, Ms Ho admitted that the company was concerned that some people might find the event offensive.

    She said: 'Our stance is that it's all good fun, not sexist, not sleazy. No girls are going to get touched and we are not asking them to flash themselves.'

    She added that they have not received any complaints so far. Finance analyst Mr James, 32, already has plans to go to the event with well-endowed female friends who 'have assets that would get us drinks'.

    He joked: 'I can't go myself, I don't think moobs (man boobs) count.'

    There is no cover charge for the event.

    According to the event's Facebook fan page, more than 200 people have confirmed their attendance, and about 300 others indicated that they might attend.

    OverEasy can hold about 300 people.

    The most well-endowed women can claim the coveted bottles of vodka - a tie-up with Belvedere Vodka.

    Otherwise, the bar sells each bottle of vodka at $168++.

    'Yes, we've been warned that (the women with D-cups will) definitely be heading our way,' she said.

    ReplyDelete
  3. In today's papers:

    Jan 21, 2010
    BAR'S BREAST-FLAUNTING LURE
    Wrong to promote women as sex objects


    I REFER to Monday's report ('Drinks based on bra size', Breaking News, ST Online) of a promotion organised by a bar, OverEasy, at One Fullerton. OverEasy is run by Lo & Behold, which also runs Loof and White Rabbit.

    The bar invited women to enjoy free alcohol based on the size of their breasts. The event was reportedly well attended and women who had bigger breasts received more 'free' drinks.

    There is nothing free about letting a room of people gawk at your breasts. Even if a woman is willing to pay the personal price of loss of dignity, there is still a cost suffered by other women.

    The women who participated have contributed to the objectification of women, to reducing a woman's value to her breast size, and have helped reinforce the belief among men that this is not only acceptable, but welcome. Staging this event in itself is extremely distasteful.

    Just because sexism is profitable does not make it right. For the organisers to say the event was merely for 'good fun and not sexist or sleazy' is insincere. The indignity is suffered only by one gender.

    It is unfortunate there are women willing to make this choice so light-heartedly. The individual woman may view her participation as an act of empowerment. Perhaps she feels she should use whatever assets she has to secure favours for herself. In our sex- and youth-obsessed culture, it is not surprising some women would grow to be so cynical.

    Yes, women have the right to choose, but individual choices are made in a social context. And in our current social context, women have a much harder time to be esteemed as individuals above and beyond their value as sex objects.

    This event perpetuates the notion of women as sex objects and makes it that much more difficult for each woman who wants to be valued for her character and contribution, rather than how she stacks up to a distorted image of the ideal body.

    The personal choice (of the participants) and the private choice (of the corporation) has had a detrimental social impact.

    Choice works both ways. The organisers may have packed their venue that evening, but they may well have lost future business at OverEasy and their sister establishments.

    Dana Lam (Ms)
    President
    Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware)

    ReplyDelete

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