"Is Sexual Crime a Joke?"... Indian Company Slammed for Advertisement Evoking Gang Rape

Criticism Floods Over Ad Suggestive of Gang Rape
India's Information and Broadcasting Ministry Halts TV Ad Airing
"Was There No Awareness of Issues During Ad Planning and Approval?"
Recent Surge in Gang Rape Cases in India

An Indian men's body spray advertisement has been criticized for promoting sexual violence against women. Photo by YouTube capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] A body spray advertisement for men in India was suspended after being criticized for trivializing sexual violence and promoting a violent gaze against women. Famous Bollywood figures, including Farhan Akhtar, also poured criticism on the advertisement.

According to CNN on the 7th (local time), the TV commercial for the Indian men's spray brand 'Layer Shot' was suspended on the 4th due to concerns that it promotes sexual violence and a criminal mindset against women.

The controversial advertisement features four men and one woman having a conversation that evokes the image of gang rape. The men say behind a woman shopping in a store, "There are four of us and only one here now. Who wants to do it?" The frightened woman turns around and then realizes that the men are talking about body spray. Afterwards, one of the men takes the product from the store shelf and uses it.

Several celebrities criticized the advertisement for trivializing sexual violence. Actress Richa Chadha, who appeared in the film Masaan, expressed her anger on Twitter, saying, "Do the planners, writers, production company, actors, and the commissioning company all think sexual crimes are a joke?" Film director and writer Farhan Akhtar, who serves as a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, also tweeted, "How vulgar and twisted must the minds have been in all the processes of planning and approving this ad that mocks sexual crimes?"

There were also criticisms that the timing of the advertisement's airing was inappropriate, especially given the recent series of sexual violence incidents against women. A week before the ad aired, a 17-year-old girl was gang-raped by five men in Hyderabad, southern India. Last month, a 13-year-old girl was gang-raped by four men and was sexually assaulted again by police during the reporting process. In April, four men kidnapped a girl, held her captive for four days, and gang-raped her.

Layer Shot, the company that produced and aired the advertisement, issued a statement on the day, explaining, "The controversial TV commercial had no intention to hurt anyone's feelings, insult women, or endorse such a culture."

However, Swati Maliwal, Chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women, conveyed to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting that "the advertisement clearly promotes sexual violence against women and a criminal mindset among men." The Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcasting stopped the TV broadcast of the advertisement within 24 hours of its release and requested the removal of the advertisement video from Twitter and YouTube.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.