German brewery scraps advert deemed sexist by advertising council

A brewery in the German city of Dusseldorf has removed a controversial ad after the German Advertising Council deemed it “sexist“.

The ad from a brewery called Fuchschen shows a voluptuous woman with a fox face suggestively sitting on the top of a grill and holding up a steak with flames beneath her.

The advert asks “Medium rare or richtig durch nehmen?” in a sexualized play on words that roughly translates to “Have it medium rare or go for raw?”

However the Equal Opportunities Office in Dusseldorf's City Hall launched a complaint after posters for the brewery were plastered around the city for several weeks.

The Equal Opportunities Committee of the State Parliament followed suit – with all 14 female members signing a protest letter to vent their frustrations.

It said: ”The use of a female fox as a pure sex object is obvious”.

Susanne Schneider, a Free Democratic (FDP) politician who was behind the letter, told RP Online that adverts such as these downplay the many victims of sexual violence.

The Advertising Council urged the brewery to remove the ad after it received a number of complaints.

“The Advertising Council has definitely seen that the fox figures and cheeky slogans belong to the brewery's usual communication,” the spokesperson told The Local.

“Here, however, the border to humorous advertising had been crossed. A motif of degraded women as sexual objects is clearly sexist.”

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The ad agency that designed the poster partnered with the brewery to come up with another advert in response reading: “Today politically correct. Fuchschen: Equal rights for all.”

The play on words inserts an "i" into the German word for equality (Gleichberechtigung) so the syllable ber becomes bier (meaning beer).

However the original controversial advertisement could still be seen on other social media channels of the company.

The saga comes after a German government ad featuring underwear-clad models with bike safety helmets was branded “embarrassing, stupid and sexist” in March.

The transport ministry’s marketing drive was aimed at boosting the take-up of head safety gear among cyclists and used the slogan: “Looks like s**t. But saves my life.”

But the head of the Working Group of Social Democratic Women (ASF), part of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), urged the department to get rid of the poster campaign.

Several politicians also launched a complaint against it. The adverts stayed in circulation for a few weeks.

Advertising in Germany is regulated by law and the Advertising Council stipulates ads can be banned if they “mislead, constitute a nuisance or are harmful to minors.”

They also ensure “advertising freedom” is not used to the “detriment of the public interest”.

The controversy comes just over a month after advertising that endorses harmful gender stereotypes was officially banned by watchdogs in the UK. New rules set out by the Advertising Standards Authority mean companies will no longer be able to depict scenes that promote gender stereotypes, such as women doing household chores while their male partners relax with their feet up.

Other scenarios that would come under fire with the new guidelines include schoolgirls being shown to be less academic than boys, women struggling to park a car and men struggling while changing an infant’s nappy. Ads aimed at new mothers could also be problematic if they suggest that looking attractive or maintaining a pristine home are to be prioritised ahead of their emotional wellbeing.