Paris Hilton too sexy for TV?
Paris sparked outrage with a beer ad which is 'too sensual'. Take a look.
Image: Getty Images
Paris Hilton is giving blondes a bad name.
So says Brazil's Secretariat for Women's Affairs, which wants a sultry beer commercial starring the hotel heiress, model and actor off the air.
The ad features Paris in a short black dress preening and rubbing a can of Devassa beer on herself, to the delight of onlookers watching through her window.
The commercial isn't very explicit — especially in a land where postage-stamp-size bikinis are ubiquitous. But Brazil's regulations say beer commercials cannot treat women as overtly sensual objects.
"It's an ad that devalues women — in particular, blond women," according to a spokeswoman for the Women's Secretariat who said it received numerous complaints. She spoke on condition of anonymity because she was not free to discuss the case.
Many Brazilian beer ads feature women in bikinis — but a key difference is that those are set on the beach, said Eduardo Correia, a spokesman for the regulator Conar, which has opened three separate investigations into the campaign.
"The problem with the ad isn't a lack of clothing, but its sensual nature," Eduardo said. "A woman in a bikini on a beach isn't necessarily sensual; it depends on the context."
Conar is a private agency that cannot legally force a company to remove an ad. But Eduardo said that in 23 years of existence, Conar has conducted more than 7,000 investigations and not one of its recommendations has been ignored.
Devassa, which means "naughty" in the most gentle of translations, is made by Grupo Schincariol.
Devassa's "Bem Loura" — "Very Blond" — beer also features an Internet campaign with Paris wearing lingerie and high heels.
Take a look at the ad and let us know if you think it's too sexy:
Should the ad be banned? Or are they just picking on Paris?