Audi drops not to subtle paedophile car advert!

@MondayYogurt probably because it’s translated from German- and is the tag line for the entire campaign - not just this advert.

Why was the tag line for the ad:

"Lets your heart beat faster - in every aspect."

Why does seeing a girl eating a banana leaning back on a car relate to your heart beating faster?

I honestly had to double check I hadn’t accidentally posted in aibu rather than the feminism board 🤷‍♀️

Why?

Absolutely baffled at the assertion that a perfectly normally dressed child eating a banana is somehow a highly sexually provocative image intended to lure paedophiles toward a certain brand of car.

Even more baffled that AUDI caved in to the hysteria.

@Kantastic so by your logic to you not let your daughter wear dresses or eat bananas in case some take a photo of them?

I 100% agree to not post naked photos of children on your social media as they do get shared around the internet. I would understand people saying don’t let your kids runs around naked too. But I would not understand someone saying don’t let you girls wear dresses in case someone finds her sexually attractive and takes a photo of her to share.

My only issue with this ad is that her position looks so unsafe (as in she’s about to be run over).
I think people are reaching to be honest on the sexual element.

I saw a discussion on Reddit the other day where someone who worked as a content moderator for Facebook was warning parents not to let their kids run around naked in public. The CM said they deleted a new group every day where pedophiles were sharing surreptitiously taken videos of naked children.

There was a loud vocal contingent dogpiling the CM and accusing them of being a creep and a "Karen." It was quite transparent that this contingent mostly consisted of pedophiles who didn't want anyone listening to the CM's advice.

That keeps popping into my mind as I read this thread. Couldn't say why. 🤷

Is it supposed to be a video or just that still image?

Because if it’s just the image - you’re reaching so hard. Honestly you’re doing a disservice to actual victims of paedophiles by claiming anything and everything is a sexualisation of children.

I don’t see anything sexual in that image. She isn’t wearing a mini skirt, she’s wearing a dress. She isn’t provocatively posing either.

The colour or type of car is irrelevant. The advert is inappropriate because kids shouldn’t be standing next to a car like that as they wouldn’t be visible to the driver. It’s dangerous in terms of RTCs, not because of CSA.

Eating a banana is weird in the context of a car ad, but nothing sexual jumped into my mind. People that immediately associate eating bananas with oral sex or genitals just have perverted minds frankly, why is that your default assumption?

I don’t see the problem with the images. Although the slogan is a bit weird... I’d like to know how the image fits with that slogan.
I thought it portrayed a big, fast, solid car that can be relied on even by a tiny sweet little girl, a bit like the car has her back. Which is a bit sexist in its own right but not sexual.

At least Audi listened to people’s concerns & acted on them unlike Lush & the Body shop who just shout transphobe & bigot at anyone who disagrees with their stance.

I didn't see this advert as sexual, but if someone did, it doesn't mean to say they are a paedophile, it could mean they are projecting a fear.
I was sexually abused as a kid and I am just realising that what I percieve sometimes is a projection of fear.

Mini skirt? Cute little girl frock. Is it leopard print? I saw pattern but assumed floral. However every clothes store is full of leopard print for girls from age newborn up. Eating a banana is weird why didn’t they pick another fruit? We have 2 small dc and call the midweek shop runs milk and banana runs. We don’t call them Apple or satsuma runs because we don’t need to restock those every few days.
My thoughts to whoever at Audi had to write that apology out.

Sometimes a banana is just a banana

In advertising? Would love to see examples of inexplicable random non-innuendo-y bananas in advertisements. Or any examples of ads where males are holding phallic objects up to their mouth like that.

I have to laugh and laugh at the idea that anyone would have posed a little boy like that in leopard print lounging against a car bonnet holding a banana up to his mouth.

Have you seen the picture? She’s just leaning against the car. And she isn’t holding the banana up to her face.

I find it utterly bizarre that, because in certain contexts bananas are used as a phallic symbol, any time a banana appears in an advert we're meant to think it represents a phallus even if the context doesn't imply it and there is no logical reason to imagine the creator would have intended it.

Sometimes a banana is just a banana.

Because people would say that was sexist. Why is it that only boys can like cars or act cool? Why are little boys not at risk of peadophiles?

I have to laugh and laugh at the idea that anyone would have posed a little boy like that in leopard print lounging against a car bonnet holding a banana up to his mouth. Somehow I'm pretty sure that everyone who signed off on this ad would have spotted the problems right away if it had been a boy posed in the same manner.

"Lets your heart beat faster - in every aspect"

Devil's Advocate - maybe the advert's target audience is women? Maybe it is trying to tap into their girlhood fantasies? I always desired an atrocious pink car from the 70s as a child.

Personally, I find adverts where young girls are princesses or domestic goddesses equally as, if not more, problematic.

Why is a little girl almost draped on the bonnet like an adult would?

She’s leaning against it, not draped in any way.

Why is not in the car in a car seat instead?

The car is parked so she doesn’t need to be sitting it in. But the idea is the the new generations are cool and sitting in the car seat is less cool than leaning against it.

Why is she eating a banana, a fruit that is well known as a fellatio pun?

It’s not in her mouth and I don’t think they put much though into it. An ice lolly would have been a better fit with the sunglasses but they probably thought that would get complaints because it’s not healthy.

Why not an apple?

Why a little girl and not a little boy?

Because people would say that was sexist. Why is it that only boys can like cars or act cool? Why are little boys not at risk of peadophiles?

Why put them all together with the slogan “make your heart beat faster in every way”?

I thinks it’s a crap slogan but it doesn’t make me think they think people’s hearts will beat faster when they look at the girl.

Thought this was a bit of a storm in a teacup until I saw the slogan:

"Lets your heart beat faster - in every aspect"

Erm...what?...

A fast car lets your heart beat faster - ok, advertising waffle but I understand what is being said. What's the 'in every aspect' about? What are the other aspects in which the advert conveys your heart beating faster?

How is that in any way related to a little girl in sunglasses eating a banana?

Honestly, I'm baffled. If the implication is not that the mere sight of a little girl in a dress eating a banana would also make your heart beat faster (pause to vomit), I'm not sure what it is.

Would genuinely love to be offered a different interpretation of this!

Mmmm. Advertisers and car manufacturers think very hard about every aspect of the images they create. I'd like to hear Audi explain exactly what they were trying to convey with this.

Since when did little girls wear leopard skin patterns.

Most girls I know wear animal print patterns.

The slogan doesn't make sense but I didn't see anything odd about the ad. I thought it was implying either that she was the driver or that she was pretending it was hers and being cool.

Ok, let’s hypothetically say it isn’t sexual

Why is a little girl almost draped on the bonnet like an adult would?

Why is not in the car in a car seat instead?

Why is she eating a banana, a fruit that is well known as a fellatio pun?

Why not an apple?

Why a little girl and not a little boy?

Why put them all together with the slogan “make your heart beat faster in every way”?

At first glance, the advert does look innocent, but put all together it really isn’t.

If the little girl was in inappropriate clothing and was draped on the bonnet eating the banana in a ‘seductive’ way. Then I would perhaps agree.
But she has a ‘cool’ stance, her outfit is what many little girls wear and the only flesh showing is below her knees. She’s not wearing make up or anything, the sunglasses are to reinforce the cool ‘look’. She has short hair which most sexualised girls are showed to have long hair as well as trainers and a denim jacket. The whole advert is trying to show her being cool. And the banana is no where near her face.

I am glad that people are so hot on child abuse. But if she was eating a chocolate bar instead people would complain it should be fruit. And if it was a boy people would complain it was sexist.