Arnold Continues Stripper Fixation With New York Pravda Party
Perhaps taking a cue from Arnold's Boston office holiday party last year during which stripper antics were performed on a pole in Creative Director Pete Favat's office, Arnold New York management hired five strippers for its New York office party held at Pravda reports Agency Spy reports.
It seems the ladies stripped down to nothing but pasties and thongs leaving employees, Agency Spy reports, "shocked and horrified" with female employees "alienated" and male employees "guilty." While a full on strip show might not be the best entertainment of an office holiday party, pictures of the event make it all look like a harmless, burlesque-like show. In fact, the one lone female caught observing the so-called strip tease is smiling. Yes, smiling. Hardly indicative of "shock and horror." OK, so it's only one picture and to be fair, hardly indicative of the entire evening.
Certainly, strippers removing their clothing at an office party is bound to make some people uncomfortable and even angry. In fact, from a purely moral high ground, strippers have no place at all at an office party. Then again, the advertising industry isn't exactly a pillar of perfection. As much as this may have irked some in attendance, none of the female "strippers" pictured conjure anything remotely close to anything seedy or hookeresque. In fact, they look like flappers from the roaring 20's, hardly the image of old school Times Square hookers.
If, as Agency Spy reports, the ladies "stripped down to pasties and thongs, crawled around and generally, did what strippers do," where are the pictures? Why are we seeing just the "clean" images? Where is the photographic proof to back up this alleged ugliness? Please, do tell.
Comments
And if any ladies there who were offended wish to contact me, we can do a class action thing. It’s easy. I’ll show you.
Steve Hall,
With all due respect, methinks you believe the images appear tame because when placed alongside your typical AdRants fare, well, they are tame. But it hardly helps to offset an industry’s already lousy reputation in the sensitivity department. It’s all so old school and outdated, like much of Arnold’s work. And it certainly corroborates what some of us know about Arnold as an agency, in terms of their professionalism. Keep in mind that this shop brags about its inclusive spirit, with its own Tiffany R. Warren leading the diversity charge. Is this spectacle an example of the true Arnold?
What is this, an episode of "The Office," but less funny?
This episode tells you what their customers are like and their company values.
Arnold Whorehack,
Call it old school and outdated but titillation has been around since the days of cavemen and will be here until the human race ceases to exist. It doesn't make it right but it is what it is. Now if they had some Chippendale-style male strippers, that might have evened things out a bit:-)
What a great demonstration of creative thinking this is!
A: "What shall we do for out party?"
4 hours of brainstorming on clients time later:
"Well, we need to appeal to our predominately male 21-25 demographic so...erm...get some strippers!"
Appeal to the lowest common denominator - sums up most of the industry really.
Or maybe I'm just turning into George Parker...?
Steve Hall,
To be clear, the comment wasn’t meant to say that strippers are old school and outdated; rather, that Arnold’s decision to present strippers at an office party is old and outdated—and it ultimately says something about Arnold.
American Express recently presented a study showing Baby Boomer bosses’ attitudes about things like holiday parties. One comment stated these bosses recognized the multi-generational workforce barely wants to attend these events. Based on the Arnold spectacle, can you blame them? It’s not a party when the “entertainment” is dictated by (probably) old men who are out of touch with other generations.
You seem to have some familiarity with strippers. So you should realize the girls don’t come cheap. What do you think Arnold paid to get five? Up to $1000 easily, we’ll bet. We’d also bet the overwhelming majority of Arnold employees would have preferred seeing the loot put to better use—hey, how about raffling it off to an employee? Or just having more booze on hand. Having half-naked females at conventions is the norm. At an advertising agency party, it’s just plain gross.
This attempt to appear to be hip and cutting edge really looks pathetic, IMHO.
Happy holidays.
You all take yourselves and your sexuality too seriously. Relax.
Frumpy,
You sound like a stripper.
That's funny because there is a decent amount of talk about strippers at a holiday party in closerlook's holiday video this year.
http://www.closerlook.com/company/holiday_videos/2007/
Speaks volumes about how Arnold regards it's employees by holding them hostage at a Christmas party for the enjoyment of the low rent nimrod who made the choice to hire strippers and the person who signed their check. Sad what has happened to that agency and the standards they project.
They weren't strippers. They were talented burlesque dancers. This was a show people. It was fun and pretty much everyone had a good time and a laugh. Who organized this? Not the so-called "old men" you are referring to. Our 24-year-old hip female party/event planner did and she did well! Our office is about 70% female, as most agencies in NYC are – and we all enjoyed as much as the men. It’s easy for some to make comments like this and assume the old and outdated call the shots because that’s probably how it goes in the environment you work in.
“like this and assume the old and outdated call the shots because that’s probably how it goes in the environment you work in”
Uhhhh, no. You assume too much, but hey, 'hip' 24-year olds know it all in agencies, don’t they. Of course you’d think it’s cute. How many people do you really think were just being nice and putting up with it though? Focus on the work instead of the parties, then maybe VW might come back.
Parties Wanted.
Parties Wanted?
THIRD!
oh wait i 'm 14th
3.14 perfect.
clearly bad press is better than no press...Arnold Who??? (cares)
First, closerlook owes me about five minutes of my life. That video was lame.
Second, Arnold claims they weren’t strippers, but they were talented burlesque dancers? You mean like exotic dancers? Have you all not been apprised that it’s the Dove Real Beauty era, where we frown on the demeaning of women and viewing them as sexual objects? Were you not around for the fall of Neil French? Or when Steve Biegel cried sexual harassment? And now you’re going to let a 24-year-old female take responsibility for it all? Are we to believe she had carte blanche, with no one approving the party details? Do you really expect anyone to believe the 70% female Arnold staff thought this spectacle was cool?
Next, you’ll be trying to convince us the closerlook video deserves a Cannes Gold Lion.
Is everyone so judgmental, you talk of Burlesque dancers as if they display a form of morality that is so beneath this audience that their mere presence offends you. Whether you like it or not Burlesque is theater, theater with edge but theater nonetheless-it's not some seedy peep show, there are a ton of high falutin' burlesque bars frequented by the young and hip in New York. No doubt, it's risky to have them at an office party but if this says anything, it says that Arnold is not judgmental and uptight and can be relevant because they are taking chances to shake up what could be a really boring holdiay party.
La Cage Aux Arnold
-you concentrate on work and not our holiday party.
I can do both–I’m good like that.
"burlesque" dancers don't strip down to thongs and pasties and crawl upstairs with the intention of reveaing beneath the thong views, and also simulate having sex with props. Admire the spin "young and hip" one
as an office party theme (prohibition era) and a form of entertainment (burlesque dancers) it sounds intriguing. i have to image no one was [i]forced[/i] to watch if they didn't want to.
i'd love to hear the alternative ideas that some of the dissenters here have. cause it seems as though everyone has a lot of naysaying to do, as if they have great ideas of their own they would have preferred. have at it, you witty ad folks, you.
The Arnold supporters are really funny. Defending the idiocy by arguing Burlesque is an art form is pretty hilarious too. You Arnold supporters are such fine art connoisseurs. Probably jaunted off to the Met to catch an opera performance after the party. Honestly, where does one go to hire Burlesque dancers? Strippers are easy to find. But is there a website or phone listing for Burlesque dancers? Do these legitimate artists charge less than strippers, as certified massage therapists charge different rates than the topless body rubbers offering happy endings? The photos of the Burlesque dancers certainly didn’t display an artistic reverence. Was it a tribute to Gypsy Lee Rose or Josephine Baker? Would the Arnold men be proud if their wives/girlfriends/sisters/daughters were professional Burlesque dancers performing at agency parties? Ditto the allegedly non-offended Arnold females. This event clearly wasn’t some Tailhook scandal, and definitely doesn’t deserve the attention it’s garnered. But please, let’s not defend it either.
The "shock and horror" is because the strippers, dancers, whatever they are, were so fat.
Damn glad you didn't post pics of them in pasties and thongs.
stop calling them fat!
Oh now that is fucking hilarious "Jennifer" :-)
Yawn. A lame party gimmic for a lame agency. I don't understand why all agencies still feel the need to have stupid holiday parties. They should just divide the thousands these things cost and add to their employee's bonus (if they get one.)