Council use of glamour models may end

The use of glamour models to publicise Dublin City Council events may be banned from next month if a motion due to come before…

The use of glamour models to publicise Dublin City Council events may be banned from next month if a motion due to come before councillors is accepted.

The motion, to be tabled by Green Party councillor Bronwen Maher, is being put following a number of recent events at which models were hired by the council to publicise a new initiative or strategy.

On Sunday, Dublin Lord Mayor Vincent Jackson posed in an "Ecocab" with glamour model Katy French to highlight the launch of the city's new eco-friendly taxi service.

Last week, Minister for the Environment Dick Roche posed with two models wearing mini-skirts at a press conference to publicise a plan to replace decaying water pipes in the Dublin City Council area. The event attracted considerable criticism.

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The council also used models to highlight its Fairtrade fortnight last month.

Ms Maher said it was time to address the issue.

The motion will call on Dublin City Council to review its policy on publicity launches and in particular, to review the use of "female glamour models" to publicise the council's work.

It will state that "this policy will appreciate the importance of supporting and encouraging a diverse image of active female representation when promoting Dublin City Council".

Ms Maher, who is the Green Party spokeswoman on women's affairs, said the council now seemed to be using models to publicise events all the time.

"We need to look at the message we are sending out to women and young girls and how that impacts on women's lives," she said. She understood many of the staff at the council were also uncomfortable with the policy. The motion will be put to the council's protocol and selection committee on May 10th and if endorsed, will be brought before a full meeting on May 14th.

Fiona Gartland

Fiona Gartland

Fiona Gartland is a crime writer and former Irish Times journalist