Metro Edmonton edition
March 7, 2014
U of A students launch “girlcotte” against local radio station
By Leah Germain, Metro
What started as a project for a Women’s Study class has now gone viral, as four University of Alberta students campaign to have a local radio station end a series of questionable contests.
The Bear’s 100.3 Best Buns Contest, Party Darts Contest and Babe of the Day Submissions are just three of the promotions that U of A student Vanessa Naoussi argues promotes sexism and the idea women are objects.
“The Bear has run contests like this for such a long time,” she explained. “It always targets women.”
In hopes of raising awareness on the issue, the group launched an online “Girlcotte,” encouraging people to consider the way women are portrayed by the contests.
The foursome is even holding its own “Best Balls” contest to shine a revealing light on The Bear’s promotions.
According to Rob Vavrek, program director for The Bear, not every listener is going to be pleased with certain content from radio stations.
“Radio stations get complaints on a daily basis about everything,” he said. “People will complain about just about anything and everything, which is odd because it is a free service.”
Vavrek explained one of the contests in question, The Best Buns Contest, ended Feb. 14 and was open to both men and women equally to submit a photo of their behind, while the Party Darts Contest has run its course and no longer included as a “audience engagement strategy.”