Deodorant ad playing up rape culture hits more PR turbulence with Priyanka Chopra slam

Actress Priyanka Chopra has joined other Bollywood celebrities including Richa Chadha and Farhan Akhtar in calling out a recent TV commercial by Indian male body spray brand Layer'r SHOT for making light of gang rape. The ad, which has since been removed, showed a lady stopping in front of four men with a shopping cart.

As she bends down to pick up an item, the men said: "We're four and there's only one." She then grows suspicious since the men are staring in her direction. "So who will take the Shot?" one of them asks, causing the woman to turn around in shock. It eventually occurs to her that the men are staring at a bottle of body spray on the shelf and she heaves a sigh of relief.

Chopra (pictured) called the ad "shameful and disgusting" and wondered how many levels of clearances it took for the commercial to be given the green light. Likewise, Chadha said this ad is "not an accident" and that for it to be produced, it had to go through several layers of approval, from creatives, script and agency to the client.

At the same time, Akhtar said it must have taken "incredibly tasteless and twisted minds" to create and approve "these stinking body spray gang rape' innuendo ads", adding that it is shameful. Ashok Swain, UNESCO Chair on International Water Cooperation, also called out the ad on his Twitter for "romanticising gang rape".

https://twitter.com/priyankachopra/status/1533157557472092161
https://twitter.com/RichaChadha/status/1533055976542068736
https://twitter.com/FarOutAkhtar/status/1533040120479494144
https://twitter.com/ashoswai/status/1533038982270963712

Meanwhile, the Advertising Standards Council of India also spoke out against the ad, saying that it was "detrimental to the portrayal of women in the interest of decency and morality," Financial Express reported. The council added that the ad had also violated the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code.

Meanwhile, Advertising Standards Council added on Twitter that the ad is "in serious breach of the ASCI Code and is against public interest".

https://twitter.com/ascionline/status/1532703172510244866

In a Facebook post, Layer'r SHOT said two ads were produced for the body spray and they have been removed as of 4 June and the company sincerely apologised for causing rage amongst individuals and several communities, begging their pardon. "Only after due and mandatory approvals, we aired the ads, wherein, we never intended to hurt anyone's sentiments or feelings or outrage any women's modesty or promote any sort of culture, as wrongly perceived by some," the brand explained.

https://www.facebook.com/LayerrShotOfficial/photos/a.1607069402801519/1854790494696074/

Gang rapes in India have made international headlines in the past. In 2012, a 22-year-old female was being beaten, gang-raped and tortured in a private bus while she was travelling with her male friend. This caused national outrage. According to the Times of India, recorded rape cases in the country jumped by 12% last year. Many rape cases remain unreported due to stigma and shame, as well as a low conviction rate for the accused, The New Indian Express said.

Related articles:
Priyanka Chopra shines as latest Bulgari global brand ambassador
Louis Vuitton among major brands dropping Kris Wu over date-rape allegations
Cristiano Ronaldo rape allegations: Should sponsors hang tight or cut loose?
Cristiano Ronaldo's rape allegation sparks concern among Nike and EA Sports