Today I read that in Britain there's a partial ban on the new Adidas
advertising campaign to promote its sports bras. The problem is that the
advertisements consist of naked breasts, accompanied by the text "The reasons
we didn't make just one sports bra". The purpose of the advertising campaign
is to show that women have different breast sizes and shapes, so Adidas has
designed a large variety of sports bras.
The campaign was announced on Twitter on 9th February with the following text
and photo:
There were complaints to Twitter about the post, claiming it was objectifying
women, but Twitter deemed the images weren't in breach of its terms of
service. Far from it. The photos aren't intended to incite lust, they're
intended to give women confidence in themselves. The women shown in typical
glamour magazines and on websites have perfect breasts, which makes many women
feel ashamed. They think that their breasts are too small, too big or too
saggy. Now they could see 25 photos of normal breasts, and they can
look through them until they see a pair and say
"Look! She has breasts like me!"
But Twitter was just the beginning. Posters were hung on billboards and other
public places.
(As always, click on the photos to enlarge them).
This is where the British Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) stepped in. The
ASA claimed that the posters can be offensive, especially to children. This is
ridiculous. Naked breasts are one of the first things every new-born child
sees. The real problem isn't for children, it's for adults who are either
prudish or hypocritical. The two characteristics usually go together.
What I mean by hypocritical is that many men like to look at naked breasts in
private, but they don't want to be confronted with them in public places. They
like to objectify women and their breasts in the privacy of their own home,
but they're ashamed of seeing them in public, because it puts their own lusts
on display. Apart from this, men might not like some of the breasts in the
posters. By disliking breasts they find imperfect they're guilty of
objectifying women.
Women aren't perfect. Neither are men, so they have no right to judge. The
whole point of the Adidas advertising campaign is to help women accept
themselves.
Women come in all shapes and sizes, and so do their breasts. Adidas has sports
bras for everyone. I don't want to show you all 43 styles. I've just picked
out three as examples.
Adidas TLRD Move Training High Support Bra
Adidas Powerreact Training Medium Support Bra
Adidas Training Aeroknit Light Support Bra
High support bras are for sports like high impact aerobics and running.
Medium support bras are for sports like low impact aerobics and tennis.
Low support bras are for activities like yoga and pilates.
Whatever shape you are, whatever activities you pursue, Adidas has a sports
bra for you.
Please visit the Adidas website.
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