Chattanooga, TN: Protest or Street Party?

When we first scoped out the KFC location we were a bit nervous that our lingerie would attract the wrong sort of attention. Luckily, three local activists joined us. These lovely ladies have been protesting KFC the first Saturday of each month. They helped round out our attention grabbing outfits with the signs depicting birds being scalded alive and chicks having their beaks seared off.

The demonstration caught the eyes of every motorist, so much that there was a three car fender bender and a semi to drove up on the curb.


The KFC parking lot was very active with potential customers coming to speak to us before going to dine. Many people left after hearing our message. The scene looked more like a street party with everyone gathering to talk to each other. The exchange of information was intense. We handed out tons of DVDs and leaflets and even reached a few employees before they went in to start their shift.

One girl told us that we were beautiful girls but our outfits were a bit much. She felt that people may take it the wrong way. I expressed to her that I, too, had questioned the tactic before coming out to protest. I asserted that people were stopping because of the outfits and then learning of KFC's cruelty. Reaching those people who would otherwise drive by was worth it to me.

It is true that many people stopped simply because we were dressed in red lingerie. A carload of young men thought we were an advertisement. They were excited to stop and chat before going to grab some chicken. After speaking to Lindsay, they were all for boycotting KFC and got back in the car to eat elsewhere.