In a very serious story that's not an excuse to look at supermodel Gisele Bundchen in lingerie, Brazil's Ministry for Women has called on the National Advertising Council to suspend a series of TV commercials promoting Gisele's new Hope Lingerie line. According to a ministry statement, the ads "reinforce an erroneous stereotype of women as sex objects and ignores the progress made in ending sexist practices. It also represents discrimination against women."
The ads feature Gisele having to deliver bad news — such as having crashed the car or maxed out a credit card — to her significant other. At first she relates the news while fully clothed, which prompts the Portuguese word "errado," or "wrong," to appear on the screen. Then, in a bid to distract her auditor, she delivers the news wearing only her underwear and high heels, as the Portuguese word "certo," or "right," pops up. Considering that Gisele made $45 million in the last year, and is married to the equally-wealthy NFL star Tom Brady, the whole thing looks kind of ridiculous.
The ministry believes that the spots send the message "that sensuality can melt any man," and that they encourage Brazilian women "to use their charms to minimize the reactions of their husbands." Last year, the ministry was successful in getting a Devassa beer ad banned which featured Paris Hilton rubbing a can of the beer on herself as seemingly all of Brazil watched. The Advertising Council is ultimately overseen by new president Dilma Rousseff, a former Marxist guerrilla and the country's first-ever female leader, so it will be interesting to see how it plays out.
In their defense, the lingerie company said in a statement that the campaign had a "clear and well-defined goal to show, with good humor, that the natural sensuality of Brazilian women, which is known worldwide, can be an effective weapon when giving bad news." Pointing out the counterproductivity of sexism, they added, "It would be absurd if we, who make a living from the preferences of women, took any stance that devalued our customers."