Tube passengers just called out the blatant sexism in this viral film poster

The Current War sexist film poster

Credit: Getty

Life


Tube passengers just called out the blatant sexism in this viral film poster

By Hollie Richardson

6 years ago

The poster for The Current War forgot to mention its female stars, so Tube passengers corrected it.

Sexism in advertising is still rife in 2019. Who can forget the now-infamous “Beach Body Ready” campaign? And just last month, an air-conditioning advert was banned for showing a woman wearing hot pants and a t-shirt, along with the caption “Your wife is hot! Better get the air conditioning fixed”. Infuriatingly, these are just two of the many, many sexist ads out there.  

Unsurprisingly, sexism has also long been prevelant in film posters, with the male gaze using women’s bodies to sell tickets since Hollywood’s Golden Age era. Think Mrs. Robinson pulling a stocking onto her leg in The Graduate, or the half-dressed giantess with her legs spread apart in Attack of the 50 Foot Woman. 

Now, a poster for a recent film proves that we still have a problem here.

The Graduate film poster

Credit: Getty

A poster for The Current War shows five of it’s stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Tuppence Middleton, Michael Shannon, Nicholas Hoult, Tom Holland and Katherine Waterston. 

However, the poster only labels its male actors. 

(It’s perhaps worth mentioning that this is a film that was originally premiered two years ago by accused sex offender Harvey Weinstein’s The Weinstein Company.)

But a tweet shared by journalist Ali Plumbs shows that Londoners don’t have time for such blatant sexism. People have corrected the poster by hand writing the female stars names on it. 

The response on Twitter has been amazing. 

It’s actually quite incredible that this has happened, considering its release was delayed because of the Me Too movement and its association with Weinstein. 

But more reactions like this can only help to ensure that sexism finally becomes a thing of the past in Hollywood.

Images: Getty

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