Recently, a ‘Wine Time’ advertisement has gotten a lot more heated publicity than it intended to after one of its advertisements gracing the side of a delivery van faced complaints.
The advert in question depicts “an attractive woman with her eyes closed and head tilted back, while a stream of wine pours from a bottle into her open mouth,” as per the advertisement description provided by the Advertising Regulatory Board (ARB).
It was deemed by the complaints as “highly offensive” due to the objectifying perception of the imagery which sees the woman overly sexualised in the pursuit of wine.
One complainant took things a step further and drew parallels between advertising like this and rape culture in South Africa, according to the ARB.
People further expressed shock given that “with mental health issues and alcoholism levels being extremely high in South Africa [it is] inappropriate and even “shocking” to depict wine being poured down the throat of a woman.”
The complaints were directed to the ARB who in its decision ruled that “this is not simply a picture of a woman enjoying a drink” in light of her ‘submissive position’.
The ARB’s Directorate contemplated that “it is not outside of the realms of possibility for the viewers to make a phallic association with the wine bottle, given the sensual nature of the depiction.”
“Given the high rates of gender-based violence and specifically rape in South Africa, which are strongly associated with alcohol consumption in a high percentage of cases, the depiction of alcohol usage alongside sexual imagery makes for a poorly considered combination,” it added.
“In light of all of the above considerations, the Directorate upholds the complaints – it finds that the depiction of the woman on the Wine Time delivery van is offensive, constitutes a negative gender portrayal that is unjustified, and that the woman’s pose of supplication, while she drinks alcohol, is problematic in a country rife with alcohol-abuse and alcohol-related gender-based violence. The advertisement also clearly depicts an irresponsible consumption of an alcoholic beverage.”
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Picture: Shared by ARB