Peta’s ‘grab a pussy’ campaign is not misogynistic – it’s comedy gold

If anything angers a prejudiced megalomaniac, it’s being laughed at – especially by those he sees as beneath him

Peta has caused uproar by presenting controversial billboards following Donald Trump’s assertions about women (Rex)

When I heard about the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals’ “grab a pussy” billboard campaign, my first response was a humorous one. What a fantastic idea, I thought – turning the lewd and derogatory comments of a tanorexic misogynist in desperate need of a colour job into a positive force.

Turning such a disgusting situation, that of Trump saying he can “grab [women] by the pussy”, into a campaign to encourage more people to adopt cats from centres that are bursting at the seams with abandoned animals, is genius – for various reasons.

Firstly, it makes Trump look like an absolute fool. Secondly, it shows a level of resilience – yes, be angry, but laughter in such a horrific situation can be a form of catharsis that I’m sure many women need all over America (and the world) after this week’s on-going misogyny and hatred towards our sex.

If anything angers a prejudiced megalomaniac, it’s being laughed at – especially by those he sees as beneath him.

Peta is not exploiting Trump’s words to gain a profit or to endorse him – it is using it to rehome abandoned cats. It has become the queen of turning a bad situation into a good one – in its own words, it has taken “something hideous and made it into something good”.

So, it was shocking to me that some individuals found the adverts offensive – and one Twitter user went as far as to say that Peta was “using rape culture to promote [its] work”. Peta is known for their provocative advertising – but let’s all remember that it is an animal rights group – a charity. The bile that many mainstream fashion houses and brands shove in our faces every day is much worse than this – watch adverts where it’s 95 per cent tits, 5 per cent watch.

I can appreciate the sentiment – people do not want to be reminded of Trump’s words and actions. They are disgusting, and should be continuously denigrated. And that is exactly what Peta is doing through this promotional drive – they are denouncing his words, while trying to bring something positive from the situation.

Hey, it could even prepare the American public for the worst if he wins – yeah, you’ve ended up with an absolutely batty president with zero morals, integrity, experience or respect for women, but at least you’ve got a cat to see you through.

A Peta spokesperson said it hopes the billboards will make “people do a double take, and that [they] will prompt discussions – and we hope more than a few homeless cats will be adopted as a result”. Peta is actively denouncing Trump and his absurd views on women through embarrassing him on billboards strewn across the country – what could be more proactive than that?

People can avoid reading articles about misogyny or avoid protests, demos or tweets about the subject – but they can’t miss a huge 6ft billboard that they have to drive past every day to get to work.

Those few words will be engrained into the psyche of Americans for a long time to come, forever remembering the vile sentiments that Trump made about women. Peta is there to ensure his sentiments remain relevant and close to the forefront of voter’s minds until election day – and if a few cats get a home along the way, who’s complaining?