Fatima’s next job can be whatever she wants it to be
She can continue dancing, or of course she can enter the world of cybersecurity if that is what she wants to do.
This image was originally released in the 2019 CyberFirst’s campaign. It was part of a series, with a range of other individuals being inspired to change to careers in cybersecurity. The image has since been rereleased, with the slogan ‘2020 has shaken up jobs – but the most successful careers have a turning point. The government-backed Rethink. Reskill. Reboot. program by CyberFirst could be yours’. The campaign has since been removed after being deemed ‘inappropriate’, ‘not acceptable’ and ‘crass’ during these social times.
To me, there are three fundamental issues with the messages in this new advertisement.
The first is the use of a Black and Minority Ethnic (BAME) woman. There are many structural issues BAME women face when entering any career and ballet is no different; there is a historical exclusion of Black dancers in classical ballet, black ballet pumps were only created in 2001 and the majority of roles are for white dancers- and even then they have to dust themselves white in Swan Lake. It is very hard for BAME women to enter ballet and Fatima should be celebrated for succeeding in such a challenging career. She should be a spokeswoman for other young BAME girls’ dreams of becoming a ballet dancer. When instead, she is being told she should not remain in this industry. However, had the chosen individual been of ethnically white heritage there would have been backlash because BAME individuals, especially women, are underrepresented in the media.
A further issue many have found with this is that not only does the advert deter young BAME girls from their dreams but also all young individuals away from a career in the Arts. It carries a particularly bitter taste following the Arts sector losing around $4.5 billion due to COVID. However, the Cultural Secretary, who referred to the advert as ‘crass’, has just announced a £1.57 billion ‘rescue package’ which is to be released to aid the Arts. Sadly, the package is only available until March 2021, which will quite clearly not save or sustain the sector. Therefore, it is more important that politicians start to ‘rethink their attitude to the Arts, reskill in their policy-making and communications, and reboot their relationship with the creative sector.’ It is also worth noting that it was a variety of sectors in the creative arts that would have been employed to produce the image. Furthermore, it is the creative arts sector that have kept many of us sane during the past months; yet they are continuing to be discouraged here. Fatima should be thanked for keeping our spirits up recently but is instead being told her career is not a “proper job”.
Of course, no one is saying that individuals should only consider the Arts as a career or that individuals are not allowed to have career changes to the world of cyber. Cybersecurity is a growing field and continues to demand more support as cybercrime continues to increase and change. The increasing threat of cybercrime is evident with 62% of all companies having experienced phishing and social engineering attacks in 2018 (Cybint Solutions), which was a 67% increase from 2014 (Accenture). Therefore, there is a need for more passionate cybersecurity young people. However, it does not mean that those that want to enter a creative sector should not pursue their dreams, which is the tone the photo has portrayed at this given time.
Despite this, it is true that as a result of COVID, we’re entering a recession which calls for businesses and employees to find different ways of working and different types of work. Also, due to the nature of the pandemic, the public cannot be close to each other making live performance shows, with the expectation of some, near impossible to put on. Therefore, individuals in the Arts cannot continue their career as normal and to remain financially stable it would be beneficial to them to consider an alternative career in the meantime. Sadly, following Sunak’s statement that individuals should ‘adapt’, this redesigned campaign was taken as a smack in the face to the Arts. Although it was implied for ALL career sectors following potential unemployment rates of 2.5 million.
The final issue I have with this advertisement is not with the message it is attempting to portray but with the image itself. The government does not own this photo nor did they ask for the American photographer’s permission; the photo was posted on a website called ‘Unsplash’, where photographers post their work for free with the hope of being noticed. Sadly, this photographer’s image has now been noticed but for all the wrong reasons.
Written by Scarlett Vereker