Women in the EU earned on average 16% less than men in 2016, according to new data released in March 2018 by Eurostat, the statistics agency of the European Union. Germany reported the widest gap in Western Europe – 22%, ahead of the UK, Italy and France. The gender pay gap for workers in their 20s has also significantly grown as women beginning their careers earn less than their male colleagues.
The subject is not entirely unknown, but almost nobody is paying attention anymore. Berlin-based initiative OhYouWomen briefed Jung von Matt and DELI Pictures Hamburg to come up with an angle that would restart the conversation around this important topic. Because the gender pay gap can only end when we all use our voices. Their cheeky campaign delivers a brutally honest and simple truth: male bits are of no use to men in their jobs, except getting them a bigger pay cheque. Why should women get paid less then, just for not having a penis? They created a simple, happy song in stark contrast to the seriousness of the matter. The infectiousness of the music video aims at getting the message shared and the controversy of the approach should get people talking again. A pleasant and serene female voice tells the story of an absurd world in which men perform their jobs with their penises.
The film shows various male characters performing different activities using their genitals. A chef uses his penis to spin some pizza dough, a musician uses his to record music in a studio, a pilot controls the yoke of his helicopter with it, a manager uses it as a presentation pointer, a judge announces a verdict using his as a gavel, a surgeon slaps a glove on his, as he prepares to start surgery, a writer dips his in ink, an astronaut uses it for short-distance propulsion and a baseball player uses his as a lucky bat. Obviously, all of them humorously fail in their endeavours. Because, despite helping men earn more just for having one, a penis is of no help whatsoever during one’s job. The film ends with all the characters singing the chorus together.
To let the message shine through, they used the same brutal simplicity in the style of their animation. The lines are very roughly sketched, imperfect, creating an edgy contemporary aesthetic, favoured by a younger audience. The quirky style perfectly matches the whimsical original track composed for the film. The sketched abstract style also allowed us to explicitly show the male genitalia for humorous effect, so that even the most prude viewers would have a laugh and share it with friends, rather than be offended. They have also placed funny little snippets in some of the scenes, for our audience to discover, so the story keeps on giving.
The project is the brainchild of a mixed team of young creative uniting forces to make gender gap history: Aline, Greta and Peter.
The film ran in selected cinemans and was also shared on the NGO’s website.
