Teazers told to remove sexy ad
2009-10-08 09:03
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Johannesburg - Women who strip in the advertising industry may be objectified, but they may not be reduced to their buttocks alone.
With that conclusion, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) on Tuesday ordered Teazers strip club to remove an advertising billboard on Rivonia Road in Sandton. This billboard showed a photo of naked female buttocks, along with the phrase "Nothing wrong without a thong!"
The ASA concluded that, even though women were no longer depicted solely as wives and mothers in modern society, and even though they were obviously objectified in the (legal) adult entertainment industry, Teazers had gone too far this time.
Portrayal of women
"These days women are portrayed as leaders with equal rights on every single level of our society."
This wasn't the first time the ASA saw an advertisement that showed women's buttocks.
"If nudity is portrayed in good taste, asexually and relevant to the advertisement's message, it's not necessarily a case of gender stereotyping."
According to the ASA's criteria, it was accepted that Teazers generated an income by allowing their patrons to objectify female dancers.
With that in mind, a photo of an attractive female dancer could indeed be considered reasonable and justifiable.
"However, in this case (the buttocks billboard on Rivonia Avenue) the photo does nothing for the purpose of liberating women from stereotypical beliefs and portraying them as leaders with equal rights on all levels."
Close to a school
"On the contrary, the billboard in question portrays the model as a 'piece of ass' - a degrading expression often used to refer to attractive women and/or sexual intercourse with them," the ASA determined.
Vanessa Smith was the petitioner in the case. She said the advertising billboard was degrading to women, and it was especially offensive because it was located close to a school.
Smith felt this was how children got the wrong message about what woman should be striving toward.
