Wrangler tells women they're #MoreThanABum while focussing on their bums

Wrangler Europe's attempt to empower women ended in powerful PR failure.

The brand launched the campaign with the claim that they wanted to "change the conversation to what women DO and not just how they look." Partnering with New Zealand pop artist Kimbra, they released a video with lyrics like:

She's changing the conversationWith a whole new exaltation Say - I'll be who I be Won't let the world tell me no differently Ain’t about what's behind me

And it has imagery like:

The video eventually shares the whole woman, but the focus on bums tends to undermine the whole point of the attempt at socially-responsible advertising.

Source: The Independent

Surfwear brand pretty much asks "name that ass" #whoamijustguess

Back in June, surfwear brand Roxy released a teaser video featuring its new Roxy Pro Biarritz spokesperson, showing her only from the back:



The surfer has since been revealed to be five-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore.

Via Roxy

However, the teaser video continues to make waves online:

Steve Hall of Adrants reports that video has been dubbed "softcore porn" by some:

Of the video, Macquarie University Professor and advisor to the Australian Sports CommissionCatharine Lumby said, "There is nothing wrong with celebrating fit athletic bodies, I'm all for it, but this goes way beyond. It is really just very voyeuristic." 

A spokesman for the Australian Sports Commission said "The ASC considers it has a responsibility to ensure that images of female athletes are positive and are not sexualised. We discourage promotional activities that lead to female athletes being exploited." 

So which is it? Blatant voyeuristic sexualization of female surfers? Or a simple celebration of beauty?

It's a reasonable point. Pro athletes, male and female alike, are often objectified in popular media because their finely-tuned bodies are both aesthetically pleasing and motivational. But have you ever seen an ad featuring a male athlete with such a single-minded focus on his rump?

That's the problem I see here. Don't get me wrong. Ms. Gilmore has a really nice bum. But to make that anonymous part of her the whole point of being interested in the video — rather than her athletic achievements and accolades —really doesn't help the perception of women in sport. Especially when male sports journalists still feel entitled to comment on whether elite female athletes are "lookers" or not.

Update: There's already a parody.

Plumber's cleavage #FdAdFriday

According to BoingBoing, this crack photoshoot by Markus Mueller (for a campaign by scholz&friends Berlin) is for a trade union called "Das Handwerk".

Google translates the headline as "More attractive than you think"

**shudder**