Raven's Needs a Spanking Award: Spanking Discrimination?

Although this incident in South Africa occurred in 2005, it is still reflective of a society desperately to live according to picture perfect ideologies, and although most of the concerns raised are important and valid in their own right and context, it is quite sad how we continue to trip over our own hypocrisies.

The Story:

An advertising campaign, Brand Spanking New Fashion, was being run at Young Designers Emporium Clothing's stores and on their website. Instead of referring to "new season clothing", they used "Brand Spanking New Fashion" in which they showed males and females being spanked.

Shortly thereafter, the complaints started, with accusations that the campaign inter alia was promoting abuse against woman and children. The Law Society of South Africa objected to the campaign "in which a woman is seen being spanked and bruised" They stated that the advert was in bad taste and cannot be tolerated in a country where the legislature and other concerned stakeholders were making efforts to root out all forms of women and child abuse. In another incident a very angry woman had walked into a shop and ripped the poster apart before the staff could realize what she was doing and stop her.

The issue became the focus for a radio discussion with even a  media expert from the University of Cape Town stating that the pictures were "naughty and provocative", but not a trigger for men who hit women. A couple of complaints were lodged with the Advertising Standards Authority, but before the validity of the complaints against the campaign could be tested, YDE ended the advertising, in order to launch their next advertising campaign.

Raven's Opinion:

A columnist stated the following:

“Please will the lights-out, missionary-position brigade get some perspective. In a country where certain tribal beliefs hold that any wetness of the vagina during sexual intercourse is an indication that a woman is too overtly sexual, as opposed to acting as an affirmation that she is enjoying herself we should be celebrating any image in the public space that puts women on equal footing with men as beings capable of demanding their own sexual gratification"

The original journalist had the following to say in a follow-up article:

“One could look at the ad as promoting sexual freedom. In a country being ruined by HIV/Aids and talking about sex is still frowned upon or makes one blush, perhaps we need this kind of 'exposure'.”  

I do not actually have anything else to add - I think both female journalists above, said what needed to be said.

 The hypocrisy?

With the entire outcry, stomping of feet and gnashing of teeth, it is best said in the words of YDE’s Creative director; “We show a man and woman being spanked. It is quite surprising that no one said anything about the man being spanked."

In my opinion, a brief article on this is true.com sums it up better than anyone else:

“When is the discriminatory treatment of women not really discriminatory? How about when an ad campaign shows women and men being treated exactly the same? Nope: that's still discrimination! At least, it is in South Africa.” 

“This advertisement is an outrage. It is horrendous discrimination for a woman to be "spanked" -- why, look at those red marks and everything! The store that ran this ad should be hounded out of business.”  

"This advertisement, however, is fine - no problem seen; pefectly acceptable, please carry on. Any redness seen is probably just a color balance problem with the photography."