London Blanket-Bans Body-Shaming BS Ads From Public Transport Network

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Published

June 14, 2016

Remember this bullshit?

That was an ad for Protein World that appeared on London tubes and buses circa 2015, which caught the attention of literally everybody for its strong body-shaming vibes.

And, of course, for the backlash of vandalism that followed:

It was pulled after 70,000 people signed a Change.org petition asking Transport for London to do so.

In order to prevent this level of clusterfuck from happening again, London mayor Sadiq Khan announced on Monday that body-shaming ads will now be banned from the city’s transport network.

“As the father of two teenage girls, I am extremely concerned about this kind of advertising which can demean people, particularly women, and make them ashamed of their bodies,” he said in a statement. “It is high time it came to an end.

“Nobody should feel pressured, while they travel on the Tube or bus, into unrealistic expectations surrounding their bodies and I want to send a clear message to the advertising industry about this.”

He’s asked TfL and advertising partners Exterion Media and JCDecaux to set up a steering group to keep the policy under regular review. It’s by no means a blanket ban on ads featuring hot women (or men) in very little clothing, but rather a way to prevent the kind of bullshit campaigns such as that pushed by Protein World from getting through.

“Advertising on our network is unlike TV, online and print media,” said Graeme Craig, TfL Commercial Development Director. “Our customers cannot simply switch off or turn a page if an advertisement offends or upsets them and we have a duty to ensure the copy we carry reflects that unique environment.”

Source: Evening Standard.

Photo: Protein World.