Calling women ‘birdies’ is offensive, deems South African advertising regulator
Ruling comes after a complaint over a billboard advertisement placed near a Johannesburg golf course by a real estate agency
A billboard in South Africa showing two women in a car with the headline “not your average birdies” has been ruled offensive, the advertising regulator said on Thursday.
The ad, placed near a golf course in the city of Johannesburg, was for the real estate agency Chas Everitt, which can appeal against the ruling issued on June 13 by the Advertising Regulatory Board (ARB).
“The use of the term ‘birdie’ constitutes negative gender portrayal,” it said. “This advertisement is also offensive ... as sexism is a problem that affects both women and broader society.”
The decision followed an official complaint that there was “no mention of property on the board nor images that connect them [the two women] in some way to the work [of real estate agents]”.
“It’s not clear what attribute of the ‘birdies’ depicted in the billboard are above average; is it their looks, their car? Their make-up? Their hairdo?” the complainant was quoted as saying in the ruling.
The complainant also referred to a “community WhatsApp conversation supporting that the advertisement is widely disliked”.