One of the adverts features a profile-shot of Alicija Köhler, a contestant on Germany’s Next Topmodel, sporting a violet helmet and a bra. Another shows a pair of lovers, lying in bed wearing helmets. All of them are, in fact, in that sort of spirit. Voices from the political party of SPD, a partner in the ruling coalition, urged the transport minister Andreas Scheuer to put an end to it.
“It is embarrassing, stupid and sexist for the transport minister to be selling his policies using naked skin,” the SPD women’s wing’s chairwoman, Maria Noichl, told Bild am Sonntag.
Posting a photo of herself dressed in business attire with her bicycle on Facebook, Family Minister Franziska Giffey (CSU) wrote: “Dear Andreas Scheuer: fully dressed also goes well with a helmet!”
A transport ministry spokesman defended the campaign with the following statement: “A successful road safety campaign should jolt people and can be polarising.”
Despite the outcry, the ministry went along with the campaign and the ads hit the streets on Tuesday 26th March. The mockery on social media already started with people using the hashtag #lookslikes***.
What do you think? Do you consider the ad sexist?
