The Paris city council announced its ban on "sexist" ads on Tuesday.
Mayor Anne Hidalgo said the move meant that Paris was "leading the way" in the fight against sexism, alongside towns like London and Geneva that have rolled out similar bans.
The ban targets ads that are considered to be sexist, homophobic, or degrading to the relationships between men and women.
Hidalgo added that the move was "an important measure in bringing to a public space the daily fight against stereotypes and against violence towards women".
Victoire en #ConseildeParis !!! @JCDecaux_France s'engage à ne plus diffuser de publicités sexistes, discriminatoires, LGBTphobes à @Paris ! pic.twitter.com/JaB84u2jaG
— Hélène Bidard (@Helenebidard) March 28, 2017
The new ban means that advertisers will have to "ensure that no advertising of a sexist of discriminatory nature can be broadcast on the municipal display network".
It will be enforced by French company JC Decaux, which manages the billboards.
In other words, you won't see sexist ads on the billboards run by the town hall, which are dotted around Paris.
If you think such a ban should be common sense, you might be surprised to learn that Paris has come under fire before for sexist ads on the billboards.
Back in 2012, Parisians were outraged over risqué film posters that showed actors in provocative poses.
In one poster, the actor was shown talking on the phone saying "it's going to cut out, I'm just entering a tunnel," while a woman is shown on her knees in front of him.
The ban comes three weeks after a "porno chic" ad campaign by fashion giant Yves Saint Laurent was ordered to be removed by France's advertising regulator ARPP after it drew in hundreds of complaints.
The campaign featured images of painfully thin models in degrading poses, including a reclining woman in a fur coat and fishnet tights opening her legs, and another of a model in a leotard and roller skate stilettos bending over a stool.
Comments