"Even if the intention was to present a humorous link between the man and product, the man is presented, through his posture and lack of clothing, as a mere sex object in a way that could be deemed offensive to men in general," the ombudsman's office wrote in a statement. It added that Robert's "legs, chest, arms and abdomen are very muscular, and the outline of his genitalia is visible through his underpants". The statement underlined Sweden's apparently unwavering commitment to sexual equality, which has made it one of the most gender equal societies in the world.
A member of the public had drawn the advertising watchdog's attention to the image arguing that the "focus on the organ and its size had nothing to do with the product, and even if that was the case, it is no way to portray either a man or a woman". The plaintiff also claimed that Robert's physical shape could place pressure on impressionable men who aspire to have the same physique.
"The figure's excessively muscular body and the large organ is a stereotype and an unrealistic depiction of a man which creates pressure for both younger and elder men." Boxer, which has used Robert to help advertise its packages of cable television channels for about 10 years, defended its position. In a statement, the company dismissed the accusation of sexism, saying that through almost a decade of a service Robert was known as "disarmingly sympathetic, almost over courteous and in some sense the pastiche of a geek."
2 comments:
Wow, this is among the rare events where men have the same rights as women. Usually sex objectification only applies to women.
Come on. You can't tell me that Sweden has absolutely no advertising featuring sexy models that "impressionable" women would want to aspire to.
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