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Recently, a billboard for a garment retailer went up
along EDSA featuring a model with no upper clothing with her back to
the camera. This would have been just another in the long series of
billboards showing partial nudity along the main highway except for
one thing: the actress is a primetime star with a rather wholesome
image. Expectedly, some critical comments went the round in the
Internet, prompting the manager of the actress to defend the
billboard as simply a matter of “fashion,” “classy,” and a
sign of the actress’ growth.
The critical comments are not
surprising given the popularity of this actress among the young.
While we have seen the steady increase in body exposure in
billboards in the past years, a topless female youth figure in a
billboard crosses a clear line that deserves careful evaluation. Of
course, any nudity in this most public of mass media should be the
subject of critical discussion in the public interest. Images of
such size which even young people in passing cars can see should be
subject to scrutiny if only to ensure that they are not offensive to
community norms of propriety.
The Outdoor Advertising
Association of the Philippines acknowledges this fact. Its Code of
Ethics states that: “Being an integral part of mass media, we are
cognizant of the powerful influence of outdoor advertising on
society”. Surprisingly, though, a search through the Code will not
show any occurrence of the words “community,” “norms,”
“appropriate,” or even “decency.”
The Code does say “materials
that show partial or total nudity or skimpy attire or any
visuals/copy/elements that suggest sexual stimulation or
satisfaction or gratification.” The use of the verb “suggest”
leaves plenty of room for interpretation, however, and without an
overarching principle of community decency to anchor the provision,
a lot of nudity can slip through.
Thus, I find the Code too narrow
in its ethical guidance on billboards, especially given the
latter’s power over the public mind. Anyone who remembers what
school was like would remember the posters that were everywhere—in
classrooms and around campus. Teachers use visual displays to
communicate important messages related to personal values, virtue,
attitudes and even behaviors. Psychologists have long established
the powerful impact of such visual messages on people, especially
the young.
What ethical issues arise from
the use of sexual images in billboards? The first relates to the
major purpose of advertising itself, which is to inform the public
about the features and benefits of particular products and services.
In fact, it is this “right of the public to know” which gives
fundamental protection to all mass media in a democratic,
free-market society. Consumers need truthful, relevant and timely
information to make rational decisions about purchases. When sexual
images such as nudity are used in billboards, in what sense do they
inform the public?
In most cases, sexual images are
not used to inform at all but merely to persuade and influence, not
through rational means but through subtle implication. Researchers
Lambiase and Reichert have identified three ways that sexual
messages are integrated in advertising in order to influence
consumer thinking: sexual attractiveness for the consumer, likely
engagement in sexual behavior, and feelings of being sexy or sexual.
The trouble with such persuasive
uses of sexual images is that they discourage rational
decision-making and amounts to little more than psychological
manipulation. Obviously, advertisements which manipulate consumers
do not deserve the protection of mass media which are supposedly
meant to inform the public.
(To be continued)
Dr. Ben Teehankee is an associate
professor at the Ramon V. del Rosario Sr. Graduate School of
Business, College of Business and Economics at De La Salle
University-Manila. His e-mail address is teehankeeb@dlsu.edu.ph
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