The University of Tampa, much like many other colleges across the country, is home to countless dorm rooms plastered with posters of naked girls and shirtless men. The choice terms commonly used to describe these individuals would rarely contain the word “philanthropist”—until recent years.
Many charitable donors will start the year 2014 with a bang—and butts. Both the Warwick University Men’s Rowing Club and the British airline Ryanair’s Stewardesses have dared to strip down and bare all in the name of charity.
The University of Warwick’s Rowing Club has done a nude calendar each year for the past five years. The best part about the calendar is that the porn comes with a clear conscience. According to huffingtonpost.com, a portion of the calendar’s proceeds are donated to EACH, the Educational Action Challenging Homophobia, which is dedicated to supporting individuals being bullied because of their sexual orientation. The first set of calendars were sold only on Warwick’s campus, according to eonline.com, but by their fourth set, they had sold out in only a matter of days as a result of incredible demand in over 40 countries.
For those uninterested in what Warwick has to offer, the most glorious sets of cheeks in the world, the British airline Ryanair, has released a charitable calendar of its own. In this 2014 calendar, the hostesses of Ryanair have banded together to pose for a special swimsuit edition. According to huffingtonpost.com, the proceeds from the Ryanair calendar will be donated to the Teen Cancer Trust.
Much like EACH, the Teen Cancer Trust has taken to benefitting from, at worst, softcore pornography. Ryanair’s calendar features hand-picked stewardesses wearing at least half of their bathing suits. However, the use of sex appeal in nonprofits is in no way a recent phenomenon. In fact, the use of charitable butts is not a new phenomenon at all. PETA recently released its campaign “Bare skin, not Bear skin,” featuring adult film stars posing nude.
Sexual attraction is the most primal of human characteristics and is almost as important as the need for food and shelter. According to Brigham Young University, 25 percent of daily search engine requests are porn based, and yearly porn revenue is greater than those of the NFL, NBA and MLB franchises combined.
Many may argue that it is in poor taste to represent a charitable organization through the use of nudity. However, in layman’s terms, they’re wrong. From a marketing perspective, the use of the roughly pornographic calendar is genius.
Cancer is not a sexy disease, so is it inappropriate to take part in a campaign that is centered entirely upon sex appeal? It is true that the horrific realities of the disease are not expressed through this donation campaign. However, this is the most effective method for raising money. For example, it is rare that one can sit through an ASPCA commercial featuring abused animals without squinting or scrambling to find the remote. The terrible truth simply does not sell.
The sexualization of charities is a wise decision because it allows the cause to be the subject of headlines. A charity releases a calendar, and there is no media coverage. A charity releases a calendar full of attractive naked people, and it makes the headlines.
Individuals are going to purchase and view pornographic material whether it is for charity or not—so why not let charities capitalize on the opportunity to tap into one of the wealthiest industries in the world? People would benefit by not only using the material to “help themselves,” but to help others as well. Through Warwick’s coalition with EACH and Ryanair’s cooperation with the Teen Cancer Trust, many procrasturbation sessions can be transmitted into crucial funds for each organization and their causes.
Warwick’s calendar is backed by countless positive reviews. Some University of Tampa students are supportive of the cause and the 12 months of athletic butts.
“I think it’s awesome,” said Abby Paterson, a junior and psychology major. “Issues such as homophobia need more attention, and a calendar like this appeals much more to a younger generation. Sex is everywhere. Nudity is the norm. It will help the fight for equality through a method many of us identify with.”
The most effective way to generate donations is to provide donors with a tangible object. However, the ASPCA T-shirt with happy puppies and tote bags that say “PETA” are overdone. Some people don’t want that. They want butts. They want butts every day of every month, and they want to proudly display these butts on their walls—because these cheeks are for charity, and charity is awesome.
By supporting the calendar, one is supporting the charity. It is a symbiotic relationship. The money from donors provides the nonprofit with its necessary funding, and the calendars provide donors with a method of organization, wall décor, a good conscience or… whatever else they may be used for.
Everyone should feel encouraged to shamelessly purchase a calendar, whether it is from Warwick or Ryanair—or both. Owners of these calendars are not perverts, they’re philanthropists. Sex sells, and if it’s for a good cause, then it’s even more powerful. Proudly display your calendar, because these cheeks are for charity.