Brisbane billboard deemed too sexy

With so much on our minds these days, you wonder really just how much one billboard could truly affect our day or corrupt our minds.

Last week Elizabeth Tilley reported on the reaction of family groups to pull down an Ambra billboard underwear advertisement in Brisbane’s CBD.

The argument was raised advertisers are using sexualised images offensive to women and giving children the wrong impression.

I had not seen the billboard until Sunday, when returning home from a walk with my workmate.
From my own perspective as a young woman I found the advertisement non offensive and my friend agreed because we liked the overall design.

We both could not understand how displaying the waist down of a women’s body could be offensive as it is clear the billboards intention is to promote underwear products.

The Australian Families Association branch president Mark Holzworth said the billboard could encourage sexual predators. In particular concern was the recent spate of violent sex attacks against women.

Let’s be honest now, does one billboard truly have the power to impact further or add to the recent attackings?

The fact is we take in so many messages a day from so many different mediums, I think it is unlikely we would recall one billboard, we all have more important things to worry about.

The point is the billboard is in no way overexposing women, it is showing one feature of the female body, the legs, and how you can compliment them with an Ambra product.

The overall layout, use of background colours and the slogan ‘let your legs do the talking’, effectively suit the products intentions.

The advertisement could instead be seen positive for women. If you’ve got the legs and the confidence why not be proud of them. Women are powerful and have every right to feel good about themselves and their body.

In response the argument about the billboard giving children the wrong impression, my question is what about the effects of content through television commercials and programs, adult magazine covers in newsagents and supermarkets, mannequins modeling lingerie in shop windows, internet pop up advertisements, websites and youtube.

If you really think about how much sexual content we’re exposed to throughout the day, it can get a bit ridiculous to say one billboard is going to affect children terribly.

The billboard is going hand in hand with how the world is. More television shows are about accentuating what you’ve got and improving how you feel about your body and your life.

Carson Kressley’s ‘How to look good naked’ television series is an example. He takes the photograph of his contestant in her lingerie and places it on a large billboard for the public to see and comment on. Naturally the contestant is stunned to discover people actually think she’s hot.
It’s only been a few weeks now and the billboard has been removed and replaced by another ‘want longer lasting sex’. I don’t know which is worse.

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