According to a new Target ad in Australia (see above), 85 percent of women do not know their true bra size. The retailer enlists British TV host Gok Wan to deliver this statistic and to tout the store's comprehensive bra fitting services. Amazingly, in the space of Target's 30-second ad, Wan manages to tick off the product's target demographic.
"I'm all about your assets," the TV personality pledges at the commercial's onset. After sharing Target's services with the audience, he says, "Your bangers will never feel more loved."
While "bangers" is often used in the UK as a slang term for "breasts," it's also another word for "sausage." For plenty of Aussies watching, Wan was likening a woman's body to a piece of meat.
A case report by Australia's Advertising Standards Bureau details viewers' many complaints:
"... I really thought that we had a healthier approach to women in Australia."
"A female body is a beautiful thing, not to be cheapened by a poofter calling breasts 'BANGERS'!!! I WAS BREAST FED, NOT BANGER FED!"
"... If a straight man were to use similar language during prime time TV, there would be a huge outcry by women claiming sexist behaviour. There should be no different standards of acceptable language simply because a man appears to be gay."
"... I do not want my breast referred to as meat. I do not want other people to think that is acceptable either."
The report determines that the ad is acceptable, as "the main message is that the Target range of underwear is accessible to the Target customer [and] we consider the advertisement to be appropriate and in line with Target’s brand values." Further, the Bureau concludes, the ad is not directed at children.
Read the rest of the report here and watch the video above. Are you offended by Target's message?
This isn't the first ad to ruffle feathers:
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