Men's reaction to women in bikinis appropriate, rules ASA

The commercial has been shown on M-Net and in cinemas. The intended take-out of the commercial is that the men are hiding erections caused by looking at the attractive woman.

The complainants complained that the commercial objectifies and degrades women, is sexually suggestive and embarrassing, is unsuitable for children, and is immoral and unnecessary in light of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the high incidence of rape.

The advertising agency Bester Burke responded on behalf of Hang Ten and submitted that the commercial depicts a scenario which can be found on any beach on any given day – that is, young men watching the girls in their bikinis strolling by, and indicating their reactions to a particular girl. They submitted that this can not be seen as gender stereotyping or negative gender portrayal, and that the commercial is neither offensive nor immoral. They also noted that the commercial has nothing to do with children.

Bester Burke further advised that Hang Ten is a major retailer of beachwear, and in particular bikinis, and that the commercial is therefore entirely appropriate.

In considering this complaint the ASA Directorate took note of the fact that Hang Ten is a swimwear and bikini retailer and ruled that, while it may be inappropriate to portray women in bikinis being assessed on their attractiveness in many commercials, the portrayal of the men's reactions to the women in bikinis in this commercial was appropriate, given that the product being advertised is swimwear, and in particular bikinis. The Directorate was therefore of the opinion that, given the product relevance of the commercial, there was no inappropriate gender stereotyping.

The Directorate also noted that the intended take-out of the commercial is relatively subtle. A fairly sophisticated sexual knowledge is required to reach the correct conclusion, and it was unlikely that young children would understand the commercial. In addition, the commercial contained no graphic sexual images. The Directorate was therefore of the opinion that the commercial was not harmful to children.

In considering the offensiveness of the commercial, the Directorate noted that it is a television commercial that was flighted frequently in the build up to the summer holiday months. Given the level of flighting on television and in cinemas, the amount of complaints received was not indicative of widespread, sectoral or serious offense.

The complaints were subsequently dismissed.

The Hang Ten ad that was in question can be downloaded off the ASA's website at http://www.asasa.org.za/cgi-bin/getRuling.pl?rulingID=1466. (File size is 19.2 Mb).