I've written to the Advertising Standards Authority several times this year. There is no need for adverts to be offensive or promote negative attitudes (like objectifying women) but of course they do it all the time. The ASA never do anything, they just write back to say they've thought about it and decided to do nothing.Well this interesting article lists the top ten most complained about adverts of 2008. In all ten cases the ASA decided to respond by doing ... nothing! That's pretty depressing as is the fact that certain really horrid adverts didn't make the list - like that nasty Rustlers burger advert where the woman is shown rotating on the sofa like meat in a microwave (pictured above). In fact the most complained about advert received only 840 complaints and you could have made the top ten with 100 complaints. But then what's the point of complaining when the ASA do nothing?
2 comments:
ASA is not an independent body but is funded by the advertising industry. Also, ASA's management is overwhelmingly male so obviously these men in suits consider advertisements promoting women as men's sexualised, dehumanised body parts are not 'offensive' to men. Note I said 'men' because in ASA's world women do not exist apart from being men's sexualised commodities.
Another reason why feminism is vital since ASA doesn't care - unless of course it concerns racism which obviously only affects non-white men not non-white women.
Brilliant and informative blog which i just happened to come across by chance! Sometimes though it isn't men who are to blame in all this oppression of women. Women contribute aswell by posing in 'lads' magazines and wearing next to nothing on a friday night etc.
These disgusting adverts that show women as sex slaves seems to be a thing only shown in western societies which is interesting
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