Since new film X-Men Apocalypse was released on Memorial Day Weekend, critics have been talking about the series’ latest installment. While many have praised the film for its nonstop action, others have been vocal about something more controversial: the promo poster.
The ad shows Jennifer Lawrence’s character, Mystique, being choked by a villain, Apocalypse, played by Oscar Isaac. The caption reads “only the strong will survive.”
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One of the many critics who spoke out against the poster was actress Rose McGowan, who shared a Facebook post criticizing the advertisement. She later spoke out about the ad during an interview with Hollywood Reporter. According to her, the main issue with the poster is that it uses violence against women to promote the film itself.
“There is a major problem when the men and women at 20th Century Fox think casual violence against women is the way to market a film,” McGowan told the Hollywood Reporter. “There is no context in the ad, just a woman getting strangled. The fact that no one flagged this is offensive and frankly, stupid.”
McGowan also stated that if the circumstances of the ad were different, there would be more of a reaction from the public. “Imagine if it were a black man being strangled by a white man, or a gay male being strangled by a hetero?” said McGowan. “The outcry would be enormous.”
McGowan is not the only person who’s frustrated with the advertisement. Many people took to Twitter to voice their opinions to Fox. One critic even began a change.org petition in hopes that Fox would have the poster removed from every location.
Fox is also facing criticism for having no female directors for films in the next two years.
[H/T: Cosmopolitan]