AS the advertising agency for Carlsberg, we welcome the opportunity to address Ms Fong Ling's concern that the latest Carlsberg beer TV commercial is insulting to women (South China Morning Post, June 20).
Let's look at the core idea before making any judgment.
The advert aims to convey that there are things in life one truly appreciates.
Sometimes one could not even pinpoint the reasons for having such strong feelings; all that matters is that those feelings exist.
This is the way some people feel about Carlsberg, hence the dialogue from the advert which I quote: 'It's just a feeling, there's nothing else like it. Why? Just because.' The subject used to portray such feelings - legs - is not meant to imply sexism. Why should legs make the woman a sex object more than the nose or hands, when women can casually walk around in shorts? The subject and feeling are not exclusive to men. Women also appreciate the beauty and attractiveness of other women. There probably aren't many women who wouldn't aspire to have a pair of legs they deem beautiful. Such a feeling is universal, non-discriminatory, and not in the least sexist.
Even then, it is not the physique we are talking about, but the way a woman carries herself that makes her admirable. Once again, I quote from the advert: 'Not the perfect legs, not the perfect girl . . . but the way she carries herself!' It is simple admiration of an air, of the flair in a woman. We show legs of all shapes and sizes. We show legs in ordinary poses that one sees every day. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, beauty is not purely physical, and beauty is not sexist.