2006-02-10

We love boobs!


Lindex is running a campaign for a 25% off sale on all brassieres. In addition to the large posters at train stations and bus stops, Lindex is also running the same photos in full-page print advertisements in the local newspapers.

The campaign leads with the slogan We love boobs! The posters on bus stops and in train stations lack the tagline. I found this odd.

The boobs campaign follows Lindex's similar, successful We love bottoms! campaign last summer. It was successful not only because it was clever and well done, but also because Lindex benefited from the extra publicity of controversy. You see, at the time of the bottoms campaign, some feminists complained to the government body that oversees such things that the advertisements were sexist and degrading to women. This argument was found to be without merit. But the press loved it, and the newspapers were full of stories about the ad campaign and debates between those feminists who loved it and those who hated it.

I was reminded of the controversy when I saw that the boobs tagline was absent from the posters. When I got home, I did a Google search and found the answer right away. According to a Lindex spokeswoman, the local transit authority decideded that they didn't like the word boobs. I suppose SL would rather avoid having to field complaints. Still, they never quite offered an explanation of exactly what they found objectionable about the word.

I think the advertisements are great. Not only are they beutiful and effective; they also promote a positive attitude toward one's body parts! Too many people have trouble liking their own bodies. I think more positive messages can't be a bad thing.

Update 2006-02-10:
I've captured a few more phots of the censored ads in the Hötorget subway station.




Apparently, SL's censorship doesn't apply to all the outdoor advertising. Here is an example of an uncensored ad on a bus stop near my home in Bergshamra.

6 comments:

Tobbe said...
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Tobbe said...

Mike, the problem is that Lindex makes the kind of clothes that are hiding the boops! THAT's the REAL problem....

Michael A. Lowry said...

Yes, that can be a problem. But imagine a world without brassieres. Not a pretty picture either!

Michael A. Lowry said...

I think the problem is that men and women are different. Some folks won't be satisfied until they've convinced the world that there's no difference between men and women.

Boobs are a wonderful reminder of the futility of this cause!

Mark Base said...

Boobs never harmed anyone.

Mark Base said...

Boobs do the job for which they're intended. And then some.