Taxi company slammed for ‘derogatory and sexist’ adverts

A Bristol charity has criticised a taxi firm following their “derogatory and sexist” adverts.

The two flyers from City Fox showed a man and woman and told customers to book a taxi if they started to find them attractive.

They have since been withdrawn following protests, with Bristol Women’s Voice (BWV) now urging City Fox to sign up to its Zero Tolerance initiative to reduce sexual violence and abuse against men and women across Bristol, which is often linked to drinking culture. 

A spokeswoman said: “Bristol Women’s Voice is appalled to see this advert being used by City Fox Taxis in central Bristol

“Images such as this are antiquated and reinforce harmful gender stereotypes and messages that women are to be judged by their physical appearance alone as well as being fat- and age-shaming.

“It is unacceptable for businesses to use derogatory and sexist images especially when targeting younger audiences, this should be seen as an opportunity to present modern images that challenge harmful stereotypes and present a broad range of representations that young people can relate to.”

BWV vice chair Ellie Vowles was subjected to a torrent of online abuse on Wednesday after tweeting one of the adverts.

This advert is disgraceful #bodyshaming. @CityFoxT taxi company must apologise – until then please boycott them! pic.twitter.com/ED6NNNq3cg

— Ellie Vowles (@EleanorRosie85) January 4, 2017

She said: “Since tweeting that City Fox should apologize for the advertisement I’ve received a lot of online abuse – some of it serious, some of it not so.

“This reaction highlights why we must speak out about this sort of ‘humorous’ campaign. It’s linked to an incredibly toxic culture that silences women, reduces them to sexual objects and shames bodies and behaviors that don’t fit with conventional desirability.

“My message to those hurling abuse via the internet is that women won’t be silenced. We will keep supporting each other and challenging unacceptable behaviors until we no longer need to.”

City Fox have refused to apologise for their campaign which they say has attracted many positive comments.

Marketing and communications manager Sophie Palmer said: “As one of the West Country’s biggest taxi providers, we see all too often the effects that excessive alcohol consumption can have on people’s safety and wellbeing, and the destructive consequences for society when this leads to anti-social behaviour.

“This campaign featured two posters – one depicting a male and one a female – in an attempt to encourage people to think about the need to be able to get home in a safe and orderly manner when they’ve had a few too many to drink.

“We make no apology for using humour and hard-hitting messages to highlight this issue – in order for people to think about the possible effects of their behaviour it is necessary to get their attention and get a reaction. The campaign has attracted many positive comments.

“However, it would never be our intention to cause embarrassment or offense, and as such we have withdrawn the campaign.

“We want people to enjoy the benefits of a night on the town, but also to make sure they get home safely afterwards, and we are always happy to work positively with any individual or organisation to achieve this aim.”