Advertisers’ Pictures Of Scantily-Clad Women

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30744, 7 May 1965, Page 2

Advertisers ’ Pictures Of Scantily-Clad Women

Pictures of scantily-clad women used in newspaper and magazine advertisement to promote sales of products met with strong disapproval at the diocesan conference of the Catholic Women’s League yesterday. It suggested that manufacturers who use them should be boycottd.

Such advertisements had a bad influence on the rising generation, a tendency to ridicule the sanctity of the human body and lower the standard of womanhood, the conference was told. “We must try to preserve the dignity of woman,” said Mrs M. Judd, presenting a remit for the Christchurch branch. “We should boycott the manufacturers who publish this type of advertisement.”

The league was the voice of Catholic women, who were concerned with morals, said Mrs M. Smith (Christchurch). Not Immoral

“We know these advertisements are not immoral, otherwise they would be prevented by the Indecent Publications Act. But we get used to seeing them in publications and forget the effect they have on

teen-agers,” she said. “We try to train our sons to respect the dignity of woman and try to see that our daughters are modestly dressed. Then the young people see these advertisements.”

Mrs J. Keenan (Bumside branch) said little could be done about them. Boys who wanted this type of picture would get it from somewhere else if not from newspapers and magazines. “The whole attitude to dressing is changing along with a changing world,” she said. Case for Prosecution A member of the judiciary had told her there was a case for prosecution against some advertisers, but no-one bothered to do anything about them, another delegate said. “The advertisers are being

attacked, but I feel we should go further and attack the firms which produce figurerevealing, tight pants girls are wearing,” said Mrs H. McCreanor. “I have seen boys turning away from them in disgust. I think we should try to get these awful things banned.” The views of Women of other denominations should be heard on the matter of these objectionable advertisements, said Mrs Judd. Protection Wanted “If we don’t uphold the sanctiitiy of womanhood, who is going to do it?” she asked. “We must protect ourselves and ask manufacturers not to show so much of the woman’s figure in their advertisements,” she added. The conference decided to write to the New Zealand Manufacturers’ Association expressing its strong objection to newspaper, magazine and other advertisements, which used pictures of scantily-clad women to promote sales of products.