An unusual controversy erupted even before the start of this year's Oktoberfest in Munich. The female figures above the entrance to the famous attraction "The Devil's Wheel" (Teufelsrad) were changed and given more revealing clothing after remarks from the municipal equality office.
The four figures have been part of the attraction's appearance for decades. Some of them have previously been depicted in short skirts, low necklines or scanty clothing. After the changes, some now wear more revealing blouses and short leggings under their skirts, and one of the figures, who was previously barefoot and in a scanty top, now has clothes and shoes.
The reason is recommendation of the Munich Office for Equality, according to which some of the images can be perceived as sexist. The office also points out the problem of the so-called upskirting – secret filming or filming under the skirts of women. According to it, the old images used the motif of the lifting skirts and the view under them.
The topic is particularly sensitive in the “Ferris Wheel“. Visitors sit on a large rotating disc and try to stay on it for as long as possible, while the speed gradually throws them away. The operators of the attraction already offer women short leggings that they can wear under their skirts, and in recent years additional measures have been introduced against unregulated filming.
However, the decision to change the figures has caused criticism among representatives of the entertainment business and local politicians.
The chairman of the German Showmen's Association, Albert Ritter, questioned whether there really were no more serious problems than papier-mâché figures being dressed in wedges. He drew a parallel with nudity in classical art and called for such decisions to be made after a broader dialogue.
Even the head of the Oktoberfest, Christian Scharpf, said that more sense of proportion was needed with historical attractions. According to him, public attitudes have indeed changed, but this does not automatically mean that every old image must be immediately reworked.
The operator of the “Ferris Wheel“ Elisabeth Pollachi also does not accept the old figures as sexist. However, she has complied with the recommendations and changed them before this year's festival.
The dispute coincides with a far more serious problem. Investigation of The Süddeutsche Zeitung has identified tens of thousands of videos on social media platforms related to secret filming under the skirts of women on the Ferris wheel. Around 32,000 such videos were found on Meta platforms alone, according to the publication.
Such a seemingly minor change to the decor of a traditional attraction has become part of a wider German debate - how far historical traditions should be adapted to modern ideas of sexism and equality.