Oh I bet the title of this post got you all going!
Is Ms160 auctioning off sol?! Nah. Reality is much more ... well, real.
One of the joys of eco kinkster-ing is the Weekend Wash. Where we pile up all our washing and the Xmas Present and take everything to the local self serve laundromat. Because when you are on tank water, washing machines become a dangerous luxury that wastes water.
The XP waits patiently outside while we use the washing machines and dryers. If we do the Wash on Saturday we snaffle the weekend newspapers and head for a favorite coffee shop. But on Sundays the little town is quieter and we tend to read the old women's magazines in the laundromat. You never know that treasures you'll find.
Suddenly sol snorted. "What are you reading?" I asked. He showed me the cover of CLEO magazine, then the particular page inside that made him laugh. "Win a man slave!" the page screamed.
Enter our contest "because every girl needs a hand to, you know, comb her hair, cook, put toothpaste on her toothbrush..." it continued:
"If your to-do list is endless and your schedule is thankless, you need a man slave to save the day. And you need him fast. Luckily, CLEO, together with Linq Promotions, has one on offer, and not only is he deliciously hot, he’s also ultra handy.
"All you need to do is tell us, in 25 words or less, “If you won a man slave for a day, what would you make him do?” Email your name, address, age and answer to cleomensexyou@acpmagazines.com.au"
I promptly fell about laughing. Had CLEO started promoting pure Femdom, in a truly tacky way? I checked out the date of the magazine: last year. "I wonder how this ended up", I mused as we folded our clean, warm clothes. "I mean, who won? What man became her slave?? Some guy from co organizer Linq Promotions, I guess. They do say "
Linq Promotions provides promotional staff to Australia, for marketing events, trade shows, exhibitions, etc". Perhaps being a man slave comes under "etc"?!"
Intrigued, later I looked for the contest online and was interested to find the following in an article titled "
Sex still sells, but who’s on top? An Examination of Current Prevailing Community Standards on Sexualization and Gender Equality in Advertising"
"in 2008 ‘CLEO’ magazine ran a competition where entrants could win the use of a male “slave” for a day. The advertisement complained of was a radio ad featuring a female voice asking “OK, let’s check the list...bushes trimmed? Dog’s walked? Leaking tap fixed?...My full body wax?...Just kidding – let’s get you into a singlet and out in the garden, cowboy.”
"The ad received complaints which included this one: “The advertisement is out of step with community values, and objectifies males in an inappropriate light. Such advertising is frequently objected to when women are involved or objectified and the same standards apply to males.”
"The ASB considered that the complaint was chiefly directed at the type of prize on offer (or the product), that of having a male in servitude, rather than anything arising out of the advertisement itself. Despite the advertisement containing a mild element of vouyerism (eg. “let’s get you into a singlet and out in the garden, cowboy”) there was nothing in the advertisement which offended the Code and it was dismissed"
LOL. Sure someone had to complain about
something! If not the contest then the magazine itself. "The problem with teenage girl magazines", pontificated an online article "
What is your daughter reading":
"is that they give highly suspect information, they create misconceptions about sexuality, they reinforce stereotypes about male and female behaviour and they show craven irresponsibility in their disregard for the emotional maturity of their readers"
Absolutely. Dreadful things, those magazines. They are full of sex, the author of the article exclaims. True. CLEO is the worst. But old copies are so much fun to read at doctor's surgeries and laundromats.
Meanwhile I'll keep an eye out to see if CLEO makes the "man slave" contest an annual event. I definitely need another man slave to help sol with the laundry!
(photos: Ms160)
