French feminists denounce smutty seaside postcards, saying they are degrading and ‘trivialise violence’

Smutty postcards with pictures of women wearing bikinis are a typical if often maligned feature of French seaside resorts. But in the wake of an anti-sexual harassment movement sweeping France, their days may be numbered.

A French feminist organisation has branded the risqué cards “sexist and sometimes pornographic” and launched a campaign to have them removed from news-stands, souvenir shops and tabacs.

“These traditional postcards are available to everyone, regardless of age,” the group Femmes Solidaires said in a statement posted on social media. “They contribute to a culture of rape, impose a degrading image of women, and help legitimise and trivialise violence against women.”

The group is demanding that publishers stop printing and selling the cards and has called for support from Marlene Schiappa, France’s gender equality minister, who has been leading a fight against sexual harassment and violence.

Schiappa’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

The campaign comes amid efforts to expose and combat sexual harassment in France, where the #BalanceTonPorc, or “rat on your pig” movement, has gained momentum in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal in the United States.

Last week, CCTV footage of a man hitting a 22-year-old student outside a Paris cafe after she confronted him over sexist comments went viral.