Like living in a Kevin Smith movie
I brought a copy of The Sun on Saturday to get the Star Wars episode III promo DVD. My flatmate was flicking through the paper and found an advert for those Star Wars branded lottery scratchcards – with the slogan “What would you do with £40k?”.
The ad features a photo of R2-D2 in a jacuzzi-type whirlpool flanked by two washing machines (accompanied by some lubricant “on ice”, a plunger, and an “orb of love”). I can’t find an image of it online at the moment, but I found a similar one for C-3PO.
Flatmate: Well that’s sexist.
Me: Huh?
Flatmate: They’ve chosen to illustrate the women with domestic technology – washing machines. Re-enforcing the idea that house
hold chores are intrinsically female.Me: Ahhhh. But how do you know they’re supposed to be female? R2-D2 could be gay. Those could be male washing machines. By assuming them to be female you’ve just exposed your own prejudices. Ah hah!
Flatmate: He doesn’t seem gay, though.
Me: What, because he’s short and fat?
Flatmate: Well… you know. Now, Threepio – I’d agree with you. But Artoo?
Me: Is what? His hetero life-partner?
Flatmate: It’s so difficult to tell these days isn’t it – the sexuality of non-verbal, non-humanoid fictional robots.
Me: Or household appliances.
