In a rare move, a French advertising sector association has called on
underwear manufacturer Triumph to withdraw a billboard campaign for its Sloggi
range which has been widely condemned as offensive to women
The fear among advertisers is that the ad with its explicit exposure of the
models' buttocks will prompt the government to replace the existing system of
industry self-regulation with laws on what can and cannot be portrayed in ads.
"It's the strip-tease context which is the problem in the Sloggi ads... It
is very damaging for the image of advertising," said Joseph Besnainou,
director of the BVP association set up by the advertising industry to promote
good practice.
The advert depicts the back of one model wearing nothing but a G-string or
thong -- known as "un string" in French -- while two others sport underwear
almost as skimpy as they coil around poles.
The BVP, which rarely chooses to rebuke advertisers, said it had received
complaints from the public, mayors and other local officials to the nationwide
street advertising campaign.
"In particular we are seeing a backlash among women against these type of
ads," Besnainou said in an interview.
And the backlash is not limited to the conservative right. Among the first
to come out against the Sloggi campaign was Socialist former education
minister Segolene Royal, a social liberal known also for her common-law
marriage to another top leftwinger.
Triumph has refused to pull the campaign, which could be regarded as tame
compared to past French magazine advertising by brands such as Versace and
Emmanuel Ungaro, which have included lesbian scenes and showed women
apparently masturbating.
But the Sloggi ads, frequently on billboards placed near schools, come just
as French teachers try to deal with a fashion craze among teenage girls to
expose their midriffs and wear thongs specifically designed to be seen above
low-cut trousers.
Feminists say the advertisements make women and girls regard themselves as
sex objects and note that until a recent sales boom the thong was largely
confined to the sex industry.
"Since the 19th century, the dress code of prostitutes has tended to set
the tone for women as a whole," feminist author Florence Montreynard told LCI
television.
"These models are beautiful by some criteria, but their buttocks are those
of adolescents rather than of real women. Are women supposed to get a complex
about that?"
No one from the government was immediately available to comment on media
reports it is considering moves -- including possible legislation -- to clamp
down on offensive adverts.
The BVP's Besnainou said it would be presenting ideas to strengthen the
current system of self-regulation, possibly including a code of conduct that
advertisers could sign up to.
"But nudity will always be used in adverts in France," he said. "It's part
of our culture."
