Non-profit organization Nesehnutí is looking for the most sexist Czech ad. Good news everyone: Brno has two finalists!

I almost crashed my car when I saw this for the first time:

Madame Megane wants you to stop being afraid of used vehicles. Literally.

This one is cute as well:

Bordellos are illegal in the Czech republic but they can advertise in public. Wonderful.

I remember there was a “beautiful” banner in a hardware shop in Židenice, advertising a chain by a picture of a woman beaten by the chain. Now that’s gangsta.

New TV ad for construction machinery seller Mátl & Bula is mocking the legendary music video for Benny Benassi’s Satisfaction right in the streets of Brno.

The girls try to destroy one of the statues in streets I wrote about two weeks ago:

It’s so wrong on so many levels: it’s vandalism, it’s an imitation of someone else’s idea, it’s so sexist (oh, have you seen the backstage tape?) — but you know what? It’s also fresh and funny. I sent it to all my (male) friends and blogged about it just now — so actually, it’s a great viral campaign. I am just curious about the possible consequences for Mátl & Bula.

If you have a dog, there's no reason why to be afraid alone at dark. Otherwise, following some basic safety rules should be enough.

I received an interesting question from one of my readers from Israel:

My daughter has been accepted to the vet school in Brno and will be starting her studies in the fall. […] Could you please advise regarding the safety of women outside at night? Until what time is it acceptable? Are there any neighborhoods that should be avoided?

I have been reading news from the local police department every day since last year and I am glad to say that these bad things don’t happen often in Brno. But, sadly, it doesn’t mean they don’t happen at all.

It’s impossible to tell any time until which it’s acceptable to walk alone outside. Here is why:

• Most rapes in the Czech republic are commited by men known to the victim. (I think it is the same in other countries.) And these things rather don’t happen “outside at night”. It’s wise to be careful when you are alone outside, but it’s more important to take seriously all the hidden threats, such is dating a guy you know from internet etc.
• Generally speaking, distant suburbs built in the 1970s-1980s are less safe for women than the centre of the city. It’s probably because there are more places – let’s face the disgusting truth – where nobody will hear the screaming. That means hedges between distant blocks of flats, huge cellars and elevators. Women living in these places should use taxis at night or ask their roommates to wait for them at bus stands.
• If you have a big dog, then there’s nothing to be afraid of. Otherwise, buy a defensive spray (€5).
• Although policemen in Brno don’t have to deal with rape often, Czech republic still has a problem with sexual harassment. Twenty years ago, it was pretty common to slap butts of female coworkers. Pretty women still have to deal with whistling and other uncivilised acts. Sadly, police won’t help with this – so there are basically two possibilities: to ignore the savage man, or to slap his face.

I also asked one of my female friends to tell me something about the issue from her point of view:

Night buses are usually filled with students, so there’s nothing to be scared of. However, you can stay alone in the bus if you ride to distant suburbs – that’s just not nice. Some of my female friends are not afraid to walk alone through whole town at night, other are afraid to leave their apartment alone and without a defensive spray. I think that the right strategy lies somewhere in between – buy a defensive spray and walk with friends if that’s possible.

Still: Czech republic is one of the safest places for women on Earth and Czech men take women more seriously than, let’s say, members of some nations of southern Europe. However, there are still issues to be solved.

As I am 25-year-old but gender-issues-aware man, this ad shown at Kotlářská street really confuses me:

Do you want to be a webcam star?

1/ For young women living in the Czech republic it is far easier to do nothing but show their naughty bits and then get €1,170 per month than to study medicine for 6 years and then get €500 per month. What’s more, the first way of life is celebrated by advertisements in the streets. That’s just wrong! (And I am telling you so as an almost perfect libertarian.)

2/ There is a villa with 24-25 (probably) beautiful chicks, equipped by sauna and jacuzzi located somewhere in Brno! This can shake my fantasy as well as the prices of surrounding houses!

Anyway, I will try to get more information about the whole thing. Stay tuned.