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- Some 13 South Africans formally complained to the local ad regulator that an advert by The Sex Expo depicting a woman's buttocks in a G-string is offensive and harmful to children.
- Some of the complainants argue the ad is exposing children to pornography and degrading to women.
- The Advertising Regulatory Board noted the ad might be disturbing, but it is not inappropriate, harmful to children, and does not objectify women.
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South Africa's Advertising
Regulatory Board (ARB) found nothing wrong with The Sex Expo's advert of a
woman's buttocks in a G-string after 13 complainants said it was offensive,
degrading to women, and harmful to children.
One complainant said the poster contained "inappropriate visuals in public areas", while another said the ad showed an "explicit picture of a woman's half-naked backside" and was "degrading to women and offensive".
Three others, concerned about their children, said the advert was inappropriate for minors and made it difficult to "explain the reason for the signboards".
"My children are exposed to sex as a commodity and to women depicted as objects.
"The visual of this advert undermines the value of women. In an age where human trafficking is rife, this is a grossly misplaced advertisement," added one complainant.
"This is absolutely disgusting, as I use this road every day for my school lifts for my young kids. Our kids are being exposed to pornography on their way to school," said another.Buttocks are not a problem
According to the ad watchdog, adverts were not supposed to "offend against good taste or decency or be offensive to public or sectoral values and sensitivities".
They should not contain anything that's likely to "cause serious or widespread or sectoral offence", it said.
Although the ARB noted the concern about the image on the poster, it states the photo in itself was not offensive.
"No inappropriate body parts are shown, and the image isn't depicting any sensual act.
"The same image could be used to sell underwear, or be seen on a beach, without the same level of concern.
"It would therefore appear that it is not actually the image that is causing offence but the context."
The only issue is the image promotes The Sex Expo, which is associated with sex, therefore making people uncomfortable.
"It is, in fact, the existence of The Sex Expo that is making many viewers feel uncomfortable.
"However, publicly mentioning sex and selling sex-related products is not banned in South Africa, and the event itself is legal.
"This being the case, the association between the image and the product cannot be described as problematic," the ARB said.
For this reason, the poster was not offensive and problematic, it added.
Regarding the gender issue, the ARB conceded the advert sparked discomfort, given the use of a woman's disembodied body parts to promote a sex expo.
However, the image was neither degrading, overly sexual, or negative, it said, adding it did not find the ad to be gender stereotypical or a negative portrayal of women.
"It must also be noted that The Sex Expo is targeted at both men and women, and therefore intends to promote and depict the enjoyment of both sexes - consensually.
"The image depicted is, in fact, a rather tame expression of the event, and is product relevant. This is not, for example, the objectification of women to sell a car."
Children's safety
Regarding children's safety when it comes to advertising, the ARB stated adverts should not contain statements or visuals that might harm them mentally, morally, physically, or emotionally.
It said the image was not overly provocative, and the event being promoted was legal.
"While the association between the image and The Sex Expo would likely lead to some questions from enquiring children, the posters themselves do not contain any information about the content of the event, or what a person might be likely to encounter there.
"It also contains no information about the act of sex. This makes it entirely possible for a parent to explain as much or as little as they are comfortable with.
Given this, the ARB noted it was unfortunate families were exposed to these kinds of adverts - still, children have not been harmed mentally, morally, physically, or emotionally by this exposure.
Therefore, the ad does not hinder children's safety, it said.
Silence from The Sex Expo
The Sex Expo did not respond to the ARB regarding the advert.
This after the company was found to be advertising inappropriate content by the ARB in November last year.
In the advert, a woman was depicted removing her underwear, with only her thighs and knees showing.
The ARB ruled "while it is
true that there is no portrayal of sexual body parts, the entire message of the
image goes far beyond displaying lingerie - and rather suggests that the main
purpose of the lingerie is to be removed.
