The establishment Moo has recently re-decorated and part of the new decor includes wallpaper which depicts images of women and fake adverts for prostitution. The images sexualise school girls, slavery and violence using text such as “Busty Indian schoolgirl”, and “Black runaway slave girl aged 18 yrs seeks plantation master”. Warwick Anti-Sexism Society (WASS) is extremely worried about the exposure of these images to students and residents of Leamington Spa.

1 in 7 students will experience sexual assault while at university and women working in the sex industry are more likely to experience sexual violence. According to UN statistics, 1 in 3 women on the planet will be raped or beaten in their lifetime. Being exposed to objectifying images such as those on the walls of Moo may increase anxiety and fear of sexual assault amongst women, and serves to remind women of their unequal position in society. Further, WASS believes that imagery which portrays women’s bodies and sexualities as available to be bought perpetuates sexist ideas and behaviours.