Centre: Take down deo ad for ‘sexual assault culture’

Union information and broadcasting ministry on Saturday asked social media platforms Twitter and YouTube to take down “derogatory” advertisement of men’s perfume Layer’rr Shot after people criticised the content of the ad for promoting sexual assault culture. The I&B ministry has also asked TV channels to pull down the ad immediately.

“It has come to the notice of I&B that an inappropriate and derogatory advertisement of a deodorant is circulating on social media. The ministry has asked Twitter and YouTube to immediately pull down all instances of this advertisement. The TV channel on which it appeared has already pulled it down,” the ministry said.

The two advertisements for the body spray got massive criticism online for its contents. In one of the ads, four young men are in a cosmetic section of a shopping store with a lady in front of them. Upon seeing the last bottle of Layer'r “Shot” perfume in the rack, the men discuss who will take the “Shot” which sounds uncomfortable for the lady. “Hum chaar aur ye ek.. Shot kon lega” as the men discussed the lady turns back and gives them an angry glance only to find that the men are talking about ‘Shot’, the body spray.

In the second ad, a couple is shown in the bedroom when four male friends of the man enter and ask, “Shot mara lagta hai” to which he responds, “ha mara na”. In the next scene, a friend says, “ab humari baari” and goes on to pick up the “Shot” body spray kept in the room.

Angry with the content, people lashed out at the company that made the ad.