Dorte Kiilerich, CEO of tourist marketing campaign Visit Denmark, has been pressured to issue an apology over a hoax in which an actress posing as a hot, single mother talks about how a one night stand--or the Danish custom of "cosiness"--with a tourist has left her wondering where the father of her baby is. The video appeared on YouTube. Apparently Visit Denmark thought that it would be a great way to attract male tourists who were looking for some boozy, no-strings-attached loving with Danish women.
This is all kinds of offensive and confusing. Insinuating that all Danish women are eager for a one night stand is insulting, of course. The idea that men are shallow enough to want to visit a country just to get laid is also pretty debasing. And finally, if you want to play on archaic stereotypes about hot women and no-strings-attached sex for a one night stand, why the hell do you depict a woman who has a baby? Did Visit Denmark think being an absent father was going to be a turn on to all those philandering men across the globe? So. Weird.
If you feel like letting Visit Denmark know how you feel about their campaign, here's the email address: info@goscandinavia.com
Thanks to a reader for the heads up.
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Uh, people visit Amsterdam and Thailand all the time for the prostitution. So trying to get in on "sex tourism" isn't really such a shot in the dark.
But... yeah, bizarre. The whole point of encouraging people with sex tourism is that it's no-strings-attached, not "you could end up having a kid in another country whose mom is looking for you on the internet."
I suppose there's going to be a mindset for some men that would find the idea of tomcatting and having kids they don't even know about all over the world to be appealing, but I can't imagine the idea of having the mom try to track you down is a part of that fantasy.
For what it's worth, Amsterdam is not in Denmark. Amsterdam is a city in the Netherlands, and Denmark is a country in Scandinavia.
And then I reread your comment, and realized you probably already know that. Sorry!
"Uh, people visit Amsterdam and Thailand all the time for the prostitution."
and Brazil and Mexico and Kenya and Ukraine, et cetera, et cetera. ;)
"The idea that men are shallow enough to want to visit a country just to get laid is also pretty debasing"
it may be debasing but there is plenty of truth to it...and women do this as well, I should add.
Courtney,
odd campaign, but that said -
"The idea that men are shallow enough to want to visit a country just to get laid is also pretty debasing."
A lot of people, not just male ones, actually do pick their holiday spots with sex in their minds. And that doesn't even have to include prostitution. In Europe, think of spots like Mallorca, Ibiza, Lloret de Mar, where young adults flock with the explicit idea of getting drunk and have as much sex as possible, what about Spring Break locations in the US? What about the fact that British girls love to go to Australia after their A-levels to have sex with Outback Jacks, to the extent that even Australian prostitutes felt they had to complain about British girls ruining the market...
Ponygirl,
I really can't believe people travel to Amsterdam for sex specifically. Have you been to the red light district there? It's a (regular) tourist attraction, just don't take pictures or you'll be attacked by the women in the 'walletjes'. People want to see it when they're in town and then have a look inside a coffee shop without doing business either here or there. But to go to Amsterdam specifically for sex seems a bit out of proportion as prostitution is legal in most parts of Europe and Amsterdam isn't a place that is cheap. Sex trade thrives most where there are large income and price level differences between clients and sex workers, that is, where it's rather cheap for clients, and still a fortune for the sex workers (Tijuana, the southern Mexican border, Thailand, Ukraine - everywhere there's a large PPP difference between buyers and sellers). Amsterdam is not such a place.
"tomcatting and having kids they don't even know about all over the world to be appealing"
A sperm bank is definitely the safest way to do that.
Jayjay -- isn't that a little like saying that it's cliche to go to New York City for amazing Italian Food because so many people go to Little Italy and it's a real tourist trap?
Prostitution is legal in areas of Europe (I would hesitate to say "most"), but the reason people go to Amsterdam is because it's got such lax laws that they can go and get flavors of prostitution that are not as easily available in other areas. If you can't afford the trip to Thailand to have sex with a 12 year old, you might be able to afford to go to Amsterdam, especially if you're an EU citizen and you don't necessarily have to get a plane ticket to have yourself a weekend of it.
"such lax laws that they can go and get flavors of prostitution that are not as easily available in other areas."
ok, if you say so... No idea about the specifics of the Dutch regulatory situation. But the main red light district in A'dam certainly appears to be a regular tourist attraction with a bit of a "freak"-factor.
Amsterdam has been a favorite for bachelor parties, especially from guys coming from the UK. Think of the scene like Vegas in the states. It's all about the reputation...I mean, Vegas can be pretty darn cheesy and expensive too.
And prostitution being legal in Europe hasn't really stemmed the tide of sex tourism at least according to people keeping track. Italy for example got the "honor" a few years ago for being the country with the most sex tourists traveling especially to places like Kenya and S. America. Prostitution is tolerated in Italy as long as it's not in the street; or if people want brothels, Switzerland is a hop skip and jump--but Italians still hop on planes in huge numbers...
Uh, I'm not sure where you got the idea that 12-year-olds are readily available in Amsterdam brothels. I've never been to Amsterdam myself, but considering the cleaner-than-most image that the sex business in The Netherlands tries to maintain, not to mention that it's regulated by the state like any other business, offering kids there seems like asking for trouble.
I'm referencing a study that was done (google it yourself, I'm quite busy) that discovered that when you have laws the decriminalize prostitution, it doesn't "solve" the problems of prostitution in the way the making prostitution legal but criminalizing purchasing a prostitute.
The point was made that in Denmark, I think (?), where prostitution is legal but hiring one is not, there is not such a problem with sex trafficking because the women who are doing the sex work have just enough of an upper hand that they can feel comfortable going to the police if need be should things go south. It was pointed out that in Amsterdam, which has different laws and enforcement, it's much easier to purchase prostitutes who are underage.
I've never really looked into this personally, I've only been to Rotterdam and it was a bit of a snooze, I'm just assuming that the study is accurate.
Ponygirl,
this isn't a sex worker rights thread, so just some additional thoughts -
"it doesn't "solve" the problems of prostitution in the way the making prostitution legal but criminalizing purchasing a prostitute."
Apparently, some affected women aren't so sure about this, as eg. this post on the yesmeansyesblog indicates -
http://yesmeansyesblog.wordpress.com/2009/07/04/the-swedish-model-and-its-discontents/
- and, for an interesting summary of different legislative approaches within Europe in this regulatory realm, check out this official (English, PDF) report by the German ministry for women, equality, families, and seniors and youth. It's quite interesting.
http://www.bmfsfj.de/bmfsfj/generator/RedaktionBMFSFJ/Broschuerenstelle/Pdf-Anlagen/bericht-der-br-zum-prostg-englisch,property=pdf,bereich=bmfsfj,sprache=en,rwb=true.pdf
Quote:
"The range of models applied in Europe reflects the different legal/ethical premises on
which the regulations governing prostitution are based, as well as their implications for
legal policy.
Four attitudes to prostitution can be made out (cf. Renzikowski § 26 ff.):
- Prostitution is a violation of human dignity,
- Prostitution is (merely) a violation of moral principles or an offence against
common decency,
- Prostitution is an autonomous decision to work in a risky profession,
- Prostitution is an occupation like any other.
This Report will endeavour to show that the path Germany has been pursuing since the
adoption of the Prostitution Act defines prostitution as an autonomous decision that is to
be respected by the law but which is typically associated with considerable dangers and
risks."
"The point was made that in Denmark, I think (?), where prostitution is legal but hiring one is not, there is not such a problem with sex trafficking because the women who are doing the sex work have just enough of an upper hand that they can feel comfortable going to the police if need be should things go south."
Whether to criminalize people who pay for sex in Denmark is a hotly debated issue right now. Other nordic countries have done this, and it IS an argument that it would help solve the trafficing issue, especially since it there is a consern with Denmark becoming a Nordic trafficing hub if all the surrounding countries adopt this type of legislation. Trafficing is illegal already however, and some womens right organizations in Denmark actually fight against the measure, as they believe it will hurt the registered and legal Danish prostitutes. The trouble is how to combat trafficing without hurting the registered prostitutes. Because it is illegal already to by sex from unregistered prostitutes in Denmark, the whole argument for outlawing "sex buying" ("sexkøb" in Danish), begins looking like a ploy against prostitution in general.
The Nordic Prostitution Reform website (which sadly seems to have been taken down) had an interesting take on Norway's decision to crack down on purchasing. The article said that race may have played a role.
Basically it said that in recent years there have been a flood of Nigerian prostitutes in the capital, which in turn changed the whole tone prostitution scene which had apparently once been low key.
(Incidentally on my trip to Copenhagen Denmark I saw the same thing, near the train station---each night a bunch of West African (presumably Nigerian) women (nobody else mind you) hanging out and then cars rolling up. As a black woman, this was pretty said to see.)
Anyway, in Oslo, essentially in one main area of town the situation deteriorated to the point where a black women could simply not walk down the street with men assuming that they were prostitutes and sometimes even stopping an asking them "how much".
Men in turn complained about feeling objectified because some of the workers were aggressive toward them as well.
Anyway the article claimed that the law was to address this and to cut down incentives for trafficking and seemed to shed light on the possibility that independent, legal Norwegian sex workers and those paying for their service are not the primary targets of the law.
"The point was made that in Denmark, I think (?), where prostitution is legal but hiring one is not, there is not such a problem with sex trafficking because the women who are doing the sex work have just enough of an upper hand that they can feel comfortable going to the police if need be should things go south."
Whether to criminalize people who pay for sex in Denmark is a hotly debated issue right now. Other nordic countries have done this, and it IS an argument that it would help solve the trafficing issue, especially since it there is a consern with Denmark becoming a Nordic trafficing hub if all the surrounding countries adopt this type of legislation. Trafficing is illegal already however, and some womens right organizations in Denmark actually fight against the measure, as they believe it will hurt the registered and legal Danish prostitutes. The trouble is how to combat trafficing without hurting the registered prostitutes. Because it is illegal already to by sex from unregistered prostitutes in Denmark, the whole argument for outlawing "sex buying" ("sexkøb" in Danish), begins looking like a ploy against prostitution in general.
i would have to say that the most offensive part of this stunt was the portrayal of a woman who is obviously NOT a single mother, acting as if being a single mother with a completely unknown father is something that she wanted. i mean, how many women firstly even want to HAVE kids, and how many of them would desire to raise a child on their own??
according to visit demark all they did was tell a "good and sweet story about a mature, responsible woman who lives in a free society and shoulders the responsibility of her actions", but is that really what this is all about?? i think there is much much more to be said about this video and how it portrays a woman and what she wants out of life, or even a one night stand. i doubt that most woman want to have a random hookup thinking "gee, i sure hope i get pregnant and get to raise this random guy's baby on my own!" who wants that??
There's an ad basically telling men to come to a country for sex with hot women, and you think the most offensive part is that she's portrayed as okay with being a single mom? Really?
I'm so sorry to hear about your baby-related issues. Honest, I am.
But do you think you could look past them for a few moments and see that this is a tourism office that thought nobody would be bothered by the implication that women in their country were waiting around to have sex with foreigners?
I think that's just a tad more offensive.
I'm feeling what you are saying.
Certain lines really struck me as really offensive in the context, such as "I just want to let you know that I'm not a bimbo" (wtf!!!) and "you were gone when I woke up the next morning" all while cuddling with the baby and sounding happy-go-lucky.
Give me a break. This was an attempt to essentially take the nightmare of an unintended pregnancy with a random stranger and turn it into some dude's porn fantasy. It's a wonder they didn't have her thank the guy for his sperm donation.
It's not true in Denmark. I tried.
"The idea that men are shallow enough to want to visit a country just to get laid is also pretty debasing."
Sure, and after Terry McMillan got a big hit out of Stella Jamaica wasn't briefly the subject of attention for numerous others seeking to "get their groove back".
People who can afford it will travel to get sex, or to attempt to get sex. People get hair plugs and teeth whitening, lypo and botox. Compared to that a visit to Denmark is pretty great.
But hygge (Danish 'cosiness') isn't sex, it's togetherness and friendliness.
The "i'm not a bimbo" thing got me, too. and "I've not been with anyone since you." well, now aren't boys supposed to be good at math? If every non-Danish man's "conquest" of a Danish woman is like this...she's a "good girl", who doesn't do this kind of thing...not a "whore"...but YOU were just so irresistible that she couldn't help herself and went against her good-girl nature to f*ck you without birth control or protection...well, it doesn't take long to figure out that only so many men can have these experiences before all the "good girls" are all "used up." The fact that they used the sex tourism angle anyway bothers me, but that "i'm not a bimbo" thing is shit icing on the shit cake...