Inject me: Skechers tries on the stereotypes with Christina Aguilera as "naughty and nice" "nurse"
August 2004 -- In the coming months, shoemaker Skechers reportedly plans to run a global ad campaign called "Naughty and Nice," featuring Christina Aguilera, as part of a long term marketing deal with the pop music star. Ms. Aguilera will be featured in three different ads: as a police officer confronting a woman bending over a car, as a schoolteacher confronting a student sitting at her desk, and as a nurse confronting a patient sitting on a hospital bed. In each photo, Aguilera plays both figures, and there is a strong element of sado-masochism, with the authority figures as the dominants. All figures are dressed and posed in sexually suggestive ways, often with exposed bras and/or short shorts. In each case the dominant wields a symbol of her physical authority in a threatening, if goofy, way: the teacher holds a ruler, the cop some handcuffs, and the nurse is about to inject a patient with something that looks like a huge 100 cc metal syringe connected to an 8 gauge needle. The submissives seem to wear expressions of mock alarm. Although the Christinas are apparently all wearing Skechers, on the blackboard behind the teacher someone has written many times: "Skechers Are Not Part of the Uniform." This campaign will reportedly be run in pop culture and teen magazines and placed in retail stores around the world, and it has already received significant coverage in the business and advertising press. Send this letter to Skechers.
Evidently, someone has a reason to think that auto-erotic and/or sado-masochistic lesbian role-playing fantasies with a touch of petty rebellion sell consumer products. However one might feel about the themes underlying these ads, the nursing image presented here clearly plays into harmful stereotypes that have been a factor in the profession's current crisis. The image of Christina Aguilera (who is, to say the least, closely associated with public sexuality) holding a gleaming silver syringe/vibrator, wearing a sultry look, a nurse's cap with red cross, a white "nurse's" mini-dress that fails to conceal much of her breasts, her red heart-patterned white bra, her near-fully visible garter belt which runs down to her white stockings and white dominatrix boots...well, it's not exactly what we had in mind to attract bright young students, or those seeking a second career, to nursing. This ad simultaneously exploits the "naughty nurse" and the battleaxe/Nurse Ratched stereotypes, setting the nurse up both as an available sex object and a mock-malevolent authority figure, rather than a competent professional. Of course, similar things are being done with teachers and police officers, but those professions are not in the same posture as nursing in terms of gender composition or global shortage, and in any case, they are no doubt able to look out for themselves.
Yes, it's a big tease, but given the role of these stereotypes in fostering a harmful public image of nursing, we strongly object to this ad, which will apparently be distributed widely around the world.
We urge everyone to write to Skechers or send our instant letter to ask that this depiction cease immediately.
We understand from Skechers public relations department that these print ads will be primarily running in European and Canadian magazines. Skechers refused to reveal their "print list" of magazines where the ads will appear. We will be counting on our international members to alert us if you see these ads in print.
See more on the advertising campaign from cherryflava or from the businesswire.
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I have a couple pairs of Sketchers...they are quite comfy. Heh...one pair I even wear to work.
As for the ad...I didn't take personal offense to it. I didn't feel as though nursing took a big hit for it. It was a campy, fun ad designed to sell shoes. I suppose the difference in how you feel about the ad has a lot to do with how seriously you take yourselves, your age, and/or your gender. Sure, nurses contribute much and command respect. I have never witnessed a nurse being treated otherwise. Everyone is acting like the ad set the nursing movement back 20 years!
By the way...I'm a heterosexual female. I didn't used to like Christina, but after listening to her...that girl can sing. People are just too easily "offended" these days.
Great work, Nursing Advocacy, on getting the hot picture of Christina Aguilera pulled. Great work too on stopping that new overtime law. Oops, oh well, 1 for 2 isn't too bad I guess.
If you look at the Nursing Advocacy website, you will see that their remit is to challenge the way nursing and nurses are portrayed in the media. They do a great job with that. The ones you need to look at for other issues are the professional organizations (ANA, state nursing organizations, etc.). If you really care about those issues, you need to join an organization that advocates for good working conditions and terms of employment. At the moment, I don't think anyone is doing too great a job with that!
"The Center's ultimate goal is to foster growth in the size and diversity of the nursing profession at a time of critical shortage, strengthen nursing practice, teaching, and research, and improve the healthcare system"
-Taken from the Center for Nursing Advocacy Mission Statement (emphasis mine)
I just don't see how worrying about what Ms. Aguilera is wearing (or not wearing) does much to improve the healthcare system. If the Center thinks that media portrayal of nurses is the biggest problem facing the profession, then that's fine. I happen to disagree.
"The Center for Nursing Advocacy seeks to increase public understanding of the central, front-line role nurses play in modern health care. The focus of the Center is to promote more accurate, balanced and frequent media portrayals of nurses and increase the media's use of nurses as expert sources. The Center's ultimate goal is to foster growth in the size and diversity of the nursing profession at a time of critical shortage, strengthen nursing practice, teaching and research, and improve the health care system."
(my emphasis)
You can improve the health care system by attracting more people into the profession who are interested in being perceived as intelligent professionals. Stereotyping is damaging, as I think I have tried to point out before. However, I also think it is important to fight the fight on many fronts, including pay and conditions, which are not part of the Center's focus.
Havin' A Party!, ASN, RN
2,722 Posts
Tom,
For the free, left-over posters, please contact Skechers at:
1-800-Christina-is-hot (that's 1-800-247-4784... the extra digits are superflous).
Shipping and handling is $5.00. (Put it on your ANA credit card and you'll be billed only $2.50.) :)