It looks like Jimmy Choo and Cara Delevingne did not receive the memo that catcalling is bad.
The luxury designer shoe brand is currently being criticized for the "sexist" and "tone deaf" new ad featuring supermodel-turned-actress Delevingne. In Shimmer in the Dark, the two-minute video ad follows the Suicide Squad star in a slinky dress and sparkly shoes while walking down a sidewalk. The men take notice of her and compliment her shoes.
"Nice shoes, lady," said one man after he wolf-whistles at her.
Bad Timing
The brand could not pick a worse time to release its new shoe ad. Since Harvey Weinstein's decades of sexual misconduct complaints have been exposed, there has been a discussion of abuse that women experience in the workplace. The #MeToo movement encouraged men and women from all walks of life to speak out against their abusers.
Delevingne herself was a victim of unwanted sexual advances from the Miramax and The Weinstein Co. founder. In October, she revealed that the movie mogul coerced her to kiss another woman in front of him.
"When I first started to work as an actress, I was working on a film and I received a call from Harvey Weinstein asking if I had slept with any of the women I was seen out with in the media," the 25-year-old recounted. "It was a very odd and uncomfortable call ... I answered none of his questions and hurried off the phone but before I hung up, he said to me that if I was gay or decided to be with women specifically in public that I'd never get the role of a straight woman or make it as an actress in Hollywood."
She revealed that in a meeting with Weinstein, she was asked to come up into his hotel room where another woman was waiting with him. When he asked her to kiss the guest, she declined and stood up to leave. However, he then tried to kiss her on her way out.
Delevingne worked with Weinstein in the movie, Tulip Fever (which also features her Valerian co-star Dane DeHaan). The historical drama was filmed in 2014, way before the movie producer's fall from grace, but was released to cinemas earlier this year.
Her previous admission only made her appearance in the ad even more surprising.
Twitter In Revolt
Twitter users slammed the Jimmy Choo ad for not just trying to normalize catcalling but also making the behavior acceptable and even welcomed. Some users were disappointed that Delevingne participated in the regressive ad.
Nothing says 'buy me' like harassment.
Hard pass.— layineggs (@Sparklebroom) December 19, 2017
Oh dear @Caradelevingne. Sad that you took part in this awful, regressive advertisement. — Ms Person (@MsPerson) December 19, 2017
Hey ladies, buy our shoes! You'll have to beat men off with a stick! No, really! Buy two pairs now and get a Jimmy Choo man-beating stick absolutely free!
— Nick (@nabinnyc) December 20, 2017
Shimmer in the Dark is a part of the designers Cruise 2018 collection.
