Lithuanian Human Rights Center Sees Proposal of "Oral Sex" in Ice Cream Ad
A bold ice cream advertisement in Lithuania has faced strong criticism from the country's Human Rights Center and sparked discussions at the state level, according to LRT.
According to the employees of Lithuanian Human Rights Center, the advertisement offers women who eat ice cream the opportunity to engage in oral sex with television presenter Rolandas Mačkėvičius in exchange for it. Human rights defenders believe that such advertising demeans women.
"Supporting false behavioural models that, after the #MeToo movement, we seemed to have left behind," the Center wrote on social media.
"What message is being conveyed in this case? That harassment and pulling down pants at the beach are normal ways to 'hang out'? What message is being sent to teenage girls? That such 'attention' is acceptable and expected?" the Human Rights Center asks.
The Chairman of the Human Rights Committee of the Seimas, Tomas Vytautas Raskevičius, responded to the mentioned advertisement. He thanked Lithuanian Human Rights Center for drawing attention to this advertisement.
"I hope that the Office of the Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson will evaluate the content of the advertisement and warn ice cream manufacturers. This example also serves as a good reminder that sexual harassment is a serious problem that should not be turned into a joke," Raskevičius remarked.
On their part, the creators of the advertisement assure that the message was entirely different and even suggest the possibility of seeking legal advice due to such public statements.
"Our goal was to create a strong advertising message, which, in our opinion, we have achieved. In the advertisement, we wanted to show that a person would give up their last pants for a good thing, in this case, a portion of ice cream, as the old Lithuanian saying goes. We certainly do not intend to belittle women with this advertisement, and there is no mention of what the Lithuanian Human Rights Center claims. These are personal interpretations," the ice cream manufacturer commented.
The company stated that it concludes that everyone evaluates this advertisement based on the degree of "indecency" and reserves the right to seek legal advice regarding such unrealistic public statements made by the Lithuanian Human Rights Center about the brand.