London Fire Brigade Calls for Ban on ‘Sexy Fireman’ Ads to Help Attract Women

LONDON (AP) — The London Fire Brigade wants the media to stop depicting firefighters as hunky sex objects.

The service says the images are sexist and deter women from joining the profession.

The brigade has criticized reality TV show “Love Island” for including a “fireman challenge” in which male contestants had to strip down and pretend to rescue a woman in danger.

"Sexist adverts and media damage women's firefighting ambitions"

We support Dany Cotton and @LondonFire in their stance against media depictions of firefighters #YouCanToo #FirefightingSexism https://t.co/d1A8QBqrCw pic.twitter.com/DtRRywBuZ3

— Staffordshire Fire & Rescue Service (@StaffsFire) August 21, 2018

REACTION VID: We're amazed by lazy stereotypes of firefighters in adverts. Find out more and see the videos they're reacting to https://t.co/DhR53mpxCl #firefightingsexism pic.twitter.com/4PdDpEGd9q

— London Fire Brigade (@LondonFire) August 21, 2018

Commissioner Dany Cotton, the first woman to lead the British capital’s fire brigade, said Tuesday that the depiction “reinforces the misconception that all firefighters are musclebound men.”

The brigade also criticizes advertisements for depicting firefighting as “a man’s job,” including an ad for a toilet cleaner in which women objectify a male firefighter.

Just 300 of the brigade’s 5,000 operational firefighters are women — a number managers want to increase.

Interesting figures released by @LondonFire reveal sexist firefighter stereotypes on television and in the media that portray male firefighters as sex objects are preventing women from thinking about a career in the fire service https://t.co/9XoxvU7fms pic.twitter.com/62AkxkcBjf

— ASA (@ASA_UK) August 21, 2018