Commentary from the liberterrain…
Pick your P word: priggish, prissy, proper, prudish, puritanical.
The Advertising Standards Authority, the United Kingdom's "independent regulator of advertising across all media" is a band of bland bluenose banners that can't stand anything beyond strait-laced stiff-upper-lip stuffy stuff.
The Victorian guardians of England's morals recently banned an advert (that's their abbreviation for advertisement) by British clothing line Drop Dead, calling them "socially irresponsible" for featuring a bikini-clad model who was just too thin.
But why ban too-thin models? Aren't we in the midst of an obesity epidemic? Shouldn't too-fat people be banned instead? But wait. That would make both Too-Thin People and Too-Fat People offended by Just-Right People. So maybe All People should be banned. Or better yet, just ban the ASA for being too-thin-skinned and too-fat-headed. Harrumph!
Earlier, a Dakota Fanning ad for the Oh, Lola fragrance was barred for being too sexy. Because Fanning is 17, ASA sniffed that her advert "sexualizes children." But it's "civilizations" like Jolly Olde England that sexualizes children. For eons girls became women when they bled, not when they reached an arbitrary age. (Boys became men when they could, well, you know...) By history's standard Fanning is already a woman. (Shakespeare's Juliet was 13, marriageable age in those enlightened times when she was busy shagging Romeo.)
So maybe it's the people at ASA who should be banned for being juvenile-minded old goats with shriveled-up sexualities.
Naturally, the ASA is vigilant about protecting "the children," banning the presence of racy advertisements in the vicinity of schools. If the gentile gents and Mrs. Grundys of ASA all move next door to schools they'll be protected too.
Then there's that advert for the Belle ‘D'Opium fragrance expelled from the telly for "simulating drug use" of all things.
The Libertarian News Examiner has the video. However:
WARNING: Anyone who might be offended by a young beautiful blonde French actress dancing in a white dress should NOT WATCH THIS VIDEO!
Does anyone think the ASA nannies are drugged out fun haters?
Meanwhile, South Africa's ASA busybodies gave Axe deodorant's angel-themed commercial the ax because it's "offensive to Christians."
How about banning ASA for being offensive to libertarians? You know, those independent, freedom-loving people who can actually think for themselves without help from some self-appointed Virtue Vigilantes.
ASA: Anal Snob Association.
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