A Sydney scrap metal yard accused of objectifying women on a billboard has defended itself against the charge, saying anyone who complained about the bikini-clad woman was "discriminating against blonde beautiful women in general".
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But the Advertising Standards Bureau (ASB) has upheld a complaint against the Rockdale business, ruling that its billboard had breached a code that directs advertisers not to employ sexual appeal in a manner which is exploitative and degrading.
The billboard, which was erected in Sydney earlier this year, showed a blonde woman in a bikini kneeling on a beach, alongside the name of the business and the words: "They are definitely not the largest. But I wouldn't sell my stuff to anyone else".
One person lodged an official complaint to the ASB, saying the billboard was sexist to feature "a scantily-clad woman on a billboard advertising a service which has no relation whatsoever to the image used".
"The billboard is a blatant display of sexual objectification with a scantily clad, heavily photoshopped, blonde woman in a bikini posing suggestively...," the person complained.
"What in the world does that have to do with scrap metal??? It is sexist, predatory and offensive."
Asked to respond to the complaint, the scrap yard hit back with its own claim of discrimination.
"We believe the first comment in the complaint regarding the 'sexual objectification … of a blonde woman in a bikini' to be discriminating against blonde beautiful women in general as the commentator suggests that she is a sexual object," the scrap yard told the Advertising Standards Bureau.
Further, the scrap yard also objected to the complaint that the woman on the billboard was heavily photoshopped.
"We also believe this to be a discriminating comment aimed at any beautiful woman who has ever had a half decent photo taken of them," it argued.
"In regards to the model in the billboard wearing a bikini, the scrap yard is less than 1km from the beach where everyday women walk around in bikini's [sic]. In Australia it is a very common sight to see beautiful blonde women in a bikini."
The scrap yard went on to say that the billboard had had a "major impact" on the small, family-run business by attracting new customers. "Low and behold [sic] some resemble the model in the media," it said.
The scrap yard also included a message of support from an unnamed female customer, who reportedly saw the billboard in question and subsequently sold some scrap metal to the yard.
The woman was quoted as saying: "I have seen this billboard and as a young blonde haired girl myself I don't find this billboard sexist, predatory or offensive."
After considering the scrap yard's response, the ASB determined that the billboard had breached section 2.2 of the Advertiser Code of Ethics, which states: “Advertising or marketing communications should not employ sexual appeal in a manner which is exploitative and degrading of any individual or group of people.”
The board found that a likely interpretation of the billboard's text ("They are definitely not the largest. But I wouldn't sell my stuff to anyone else") beside a bikini-clad woman was that the woman was referring to her bust size, and that "the woman sells herself".
"The Board considered that the text, accompanying the image of a woman posing in a bikini which has no relevance to the product, amounts to a depiction that makes use of the woman’s sexual appeal in a manner that is both exploitative of and degrading to women," the board said in upholding the complaint.
In response, the scrap yard said it would alter the text on the billboard to read: "They are definitely not the largest scrap yard. But I wouldn't sell my scrap anywhere else."
The changes will be made within 28 days of the ruling.
