Sexist Watch Advert

Stewardess are loose and immoral and have no qualms about sleeping with pilots. In fact they would jump into bed with one if given a chance. This is the implication of an advert for IWC Schaffhausen Big Pilot’s Watch which carried the tagline ‘Often seen on stewardess’ bedside tables.’ The ad also describes the watch as ‘engineered for men’, ‘not infrequently spotted in bedrooms’, and claims that its seven-day battery reserve ‘means to you can afford to stay in bed that little bit longer than usual.’


The suggestive words and thoughtless sexism show a disregard for women and their dignity. Women, particularly female flight attendants, are mere playthings and sexual objects to please men. They exist to satisfy male sexual needs and to boost the macho image of men. Not surprisingly, flight attendants in Hong Kong protested over the advertisement and demanded an apology from IWC. The voicelessness and facelessness of women in the ad show that they represent nothing and consequently have no rights. This is worse than ads which show women in sexy clothes with partially exposed breasts or bodies because it marginalises women to the periphery of existence as mere complement to men’s pleasure.