London Dungeon has apologised after a series of social media posts promoting the attraction on Valentine’s Day were branded as sexist and misogynistic.
The tourist attraction’s official Twitter and Facebook accounts posted a series of images as part of a “Dark Valentine” campaign. On Wednesday, it deleted all the posts after a backlash on social media.
One post, which was deleted before the others came down, read: “What’s the difference between your job and a dead prostitute? Your job still sucks!”
Were @Dungeon_London social accounts hacked yesterday? If not, someone needs to have a stern word with their social media person pronto. pic.twitter.com/aG8NGd1BNa
— Frankie Meredith (@frankiemeredith) February 15, 2017
Another said: “Jack the Ripper just messaged. He wants to Netflix and kill.” Not all of the messages seemed to be connected to the museum’s criminal-historical context. Some were general jibes about appearance, such as: “I love a girl that’s a good eater. Female translation: you’re fat.”
The posts drew condemnation on both Twitter and Facebook. Among those to criticise the campaign was Sarah Jackson, co-founder of the East End Women’s Museum.
She said: “Violence against women hasn’t gone the way of gaslights and top hats, far from it. Marketing campaigns like these trivialise the very real violence that sex workers experience, and reinforce stigma which puts them in danger.
Missed @dungeon_london's delightful Valentine's Day social media campaign yesterday. The whole thing is sexist but these are the standouts. pic.twitter.com/DwoFD9j7if
— EastEndWomen'sMuseum (@EEWomensMuseum) February 15, 2017
“The Ripper tourist trade has been making money from the reputation of a misogynist serial killer for far too long – I hope the response to this misjudged campaign makes the London Dungeon and others think twice.”
In a statement, a spokesperson for London Dungeon said: “We apologise that our social posts caused offence. Our ‘Dark Valentine’ campaign was a range of posts aimed to highlight the darker side of history and create debate and conversation.
“As a brand we strive to entertain our guests so they can enjoy the London Dungeon experience – both in our attraction and on social media. However, on this occasion we recognise that some of the topics many felt were inappropriate and therefore we apologise for any offence caused.”
Museums and tourist attractions dealing with Victorian-era violence against women have attracted controversy in the past. In 2015, a museum initially billed as a celebration of London women ended up opening as a Jack the Ripper museum.
