The ASA have banned an ad from the National Express which as you can see featured a can-can dancer with her leg in the air. National Express defended the ad saying it was cultural and linked to the places they were trying to sell however the ad was banned following a number of complaints that it degraded women and displayed them as sex objects. I personally think the ad is slightly degrading although I can understand why National Express chose that image I just think it could have been used in a less obvious way to express their idea better without offense.
There is obviously the issue within society of how women are portrayed not just within ads but in films and music videos as they are generally portrayed with the male gaze in mind. I don't think using women as sexual objects will ever be completely stopped as there are always subtle ways around it and sometimes using women in this way is most appropriate for the product, particularly perfume or beauty products.
No comments:
Post a Comment