Powerful 'Women Not Objects' Campaign Calls On Advertisers To Stop Sexualising Women To Sell Products

Powerful Video Reminds Advertisers That 'Women Aren't Objects'
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A campaign has called on the advertising industry to stop objectifying women to sell products.

The video entitled 'We are #WomenNotObjects' was inspired by a Google search by ad executive Madonna Badger at the end of last year.

After typing in "objectification of women" she was met with numerous adverts from the food, fashion and alcohol industries which utilised women's bodies to sell their products, often in incredibly sexual and uncomfortable ways.

Shockingly, many of the adverts came from well-known brands including Tom Ford, Burger King and Budweiser.

In the new video from Badger, women are shown holding up the advertising campaigns and shooting down the blatant sexism of each one with a hefty dose of sarcasm.

One of the adverts from Burger King depicts oral sex and shows a woman with her mouth open. A few inches away hovers a burger in what is unmistakably an incredibly phallic shape.

The woman holding the advert up says, "I love giving blow jobs to sandwiches" while looking at the camera, completely unimpressed.

Unsurprisingly, the advert was pulled in 2009.

Badger, who runs her own agency Badger & Winters said she created the video in honour of her late daughters, who died in a house fire.

She said that she wanted to prevent the ad industry from sending damaging messages to young women and girls that could potentially harm their self-esteem and confidence.

Badger told The Wall Street Journal: "I love my job but I don’t want to do it if it hurts anyone."

The powerful video is hoping to redefine narratives within the ad industry and it's certainly kick-starting conversations.

Actor Ashton Kutcher has since shared the campaign on his Facebook page and it has been picked up by UN Women, Alanis Morissette and George Takei.

Let's hope it prompts some action from advertisers too.

100 Controversial Adverts
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Sean John's Unforgivable Woman fragrance.
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Saatchi and Saatchi's campaign for The Conservative Party ahead of the 1979 general election.
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Durex.
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Sisley fashion brand.
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Linford Christie stars in Kleenex's tissue advert.
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Wonderbra's infamous advert.
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Lynx.
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BMW.
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BaF's anti-domestic violence ad.
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Red Tape menswear fashion brand.
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Controversial French anti-smoking advert,
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MacDonald's.
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QSOL service provider.
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NSPCC
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A German MacDonald's advert.
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Heinz.
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Cadbury's.
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Levis.
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Skin Burn, anti-smoking ad
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Barnardo's.
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Tipalet cigarette advert.
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Benetton
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TG4 television program entitled 'Paisean Faisean'.
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Courage beer.
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Budweiser.
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Amnesty International
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American Apparel
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An M&C Saatchi advert for St Matthew's in the City in Aukland, New Zealand.