Women's liberation

A nightclub in Singapore held an event on January 16 encouraging women to have their breast size judged in exchange for alcohol. Material for the event titled Fill my Cups invited women to “step right up to the Boobie Booth and flaunt what you’ve got”. Two judges visually assessed the breast size of the women.

They gave them one free drink for an A cup, two for a B cup, three for a C cup and a bottle of vodka for a D cup. Cheryl Ho, spokesperson for The Lo & Behold Group, which runs the nightclub, said the promotion “was really a play on the guest DJ’s name. When we heard that it was DCUP, we decided to give the event an added spin.” Inresponse to widespread criticism for the event being sexist, offensive and dangerous, she said, “our stance is that it’s all good fun, not sexist, not sleazy. No girls are going to get touched and we are not asking them to flash themselves.” Of course, sexism and sleaze don’t require touching or nudity to do damage.

An event that rewards women in relation to their breast size both reinforces the idea that large breasts are more beautiful than small and that women should be judged for their looks. It tells women that mainstream ideas about what is beautiful are a demand that they must try to satisfy. Moreover, sexual bribery — the solicitation of sexual activity or other sex-linked behaviour with promise of reward — blurs the lines of consent. It amounts to a form of sexual harassment.