No. 07-00-605/2015-02  Date: 29 December, 2015

OPINION

The opinion was issued in the procedure following complaint from Ј. Š. on account of advertisement for seeds of wheat on a billboard at the entrance to Odžaci, by the company A. d.o.o. from Novi Sad. The complainant stated that the advertisement was made in the form of an adverstisement to “masters” offering “Zlatokosa” (Goldilocks) ready to give birth, and therefore, the complainant considered the advertisement a chauvinistic one. The declaration of company A. d.o.o. from Novi Sad states that the values expressed by this advertising campaign cannot be linked to chauvinism, nor are they discriminatory against anyone, because the image of a woman in the background is a symbol of fertility and new life, and therefore, can only be positive. Also, the declaration states that the author of the advertisement message and attitudes expressed in this advertisement did not intend to offend the feelings of any person, and the author regrets if the message is understood in a negative way, as well as that company A. d.o.o. N. S, immediately after warning the public of the existence of insulting advertisements on billboards in Vojvodina, given by the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality, removed the billboards and publicly expressed regret for the people who have experienced the advertisement as disdainful and discriminatory. In the procedure, it was found that the advertisement – a woman in the forefront of the advertisement “giving the ad” in pursuit of a yokel, and representing herself as a woman “from a good family, healthy, strong and ready to give birth”, was disdainful for women. Namely, this advertisement reduces a woman to an object, with the stereotype that her only purpose is to give birth, and therefore, promoting the idea that it is only important for a woman to be from a good family, healthy, strong and ready to give birth, is in contrast to domestic antidiscrimination regulations, that is, in this way gender stereotypes are supported and women humiliated. The Commissioner for the Protection of Equality expressed the opinion that A. d.o.o. from N. S, by publishing an advertisement expressing ideas and attitudes that were insulting and disdainful and humiliated dignity of women, violated the provisions of the Law on the Prohibition of Discrimination. Company A. d.o.o. N. S. was recommended not to publish in future the advertisements with contents humiliating the dignity of women and supporting gender stereotypes, and to ensure in the future that within its regular operations and activities, it would not violate legal regulations prohibiting discrimination.