‘Every line of resistance matters’ – Dr Emma Rush When the Australian Association of National Advertisers announced this week that it was updating its Code of Ethics to better reflect concerns about the inadequacy of the advertising (self) regulatory system and wording of the code, we welcomed the change as good news and a long […]
A young woman takes on fashion retailer for objectifying a woman for profit On September 8, a young Sydney woman, Mimi Batwolf, wrote on the Facebook wall of Australian fashion retailer General Pants, to tell them what she thought of their latest advertising image: The comments on her post show the contempt a significant […]
More comedy gold from the ASB: except we’re not laughing [UPDATED] It’s no secret that the advertising industry’s preferred model of regulation, self-regulation, has failed. Despite various government inquiries exploring the many flaws in the current system, as well as condemnation from child health professionals and the Australian Medical Association (AMA) the advertising industry has been […]
Ever feel like you’re living in a giant porn theme park? Billboards dominate public space with hyper-sexualised messages. Buses are painted with semi-naked women. There are pole-dancing themes in shopfronts, porn mags next to the lollies at the petrol station counter, T-shirts in youth surf shops depicting S&M and Playboy bunnies on everything from girls’ […]
This morning I appeared on Channel 7 Sunrise to discuss the AMA’s call for a new inquiry into the sexualisation of children. Appearing with me was advertising creative director Dee Madigan. It’s probably unnecessary to say, we didn’t see eye to eye on everything. Here’s the video: Did the Parliamentary report on outdoor advertising say […]
Last month Channel 7’s Morning Show asked me to comment on the Tool Shop’s Queensland billboard depicting three women with tools and the wording ‘Imagine All 3 at once? We can…’. The billboard was clearly intended to treat the women in a sexual way by encouraging fantasies about group sex with them. It also contributed […]
Tighter scrutiny and accountability recommended A parliamentary report tabled today has recommended a tightening up of the outdoor advertising industry through a more rigorous system of self-regulation. Outdoor advertising is one of the least regulated forms of advertising yet the hardest to avoid – billboards have a captive audience and cannot be turned off. In […]
Collective Shout makes a case for change that puts women and girls ahead of corporate profits Here’s two recent submissions (here and here) Collective Shout made to Federal Government inquiries into outdoor advertising and to an examination of the classification system. On April 4 I appeared before the House Standing Committee on Social Policy and […]
Ad Standards Bureau upholds complaints The Advertising Standards Board has upheld complaints against Calvin Klein for billboards suggestive of sexual violence against a woman. The Board received 50 complaints against the ad. I first mentioned the billboards in ‘Sexism: alive and well in Australia’, published on ABC The Drum Unleashed September 29. Last week I […]
