Erasure of women based on religious beliefs?

[AssassinatedBeauty]

The promo poster for the new Smurfs film has had the female character removed for posters on display in certain areas of an Israeli city. This is due to the numbers of a particular religious community that live there. They object to images of women on religious grounds, so companies are expected to go along with this and erase women.

I find it amazing that this goes unchallenged and is accepted as reasonable and normal. If this particular religious community objected to images of black people, would those companies still go along with it?

Is it all about money at the root of it all? I wish just one person would decide not to advertise the film there rather than accept these demands to remove women from sight.

The ultra-orthodox community is seriously bonkers - I seem to remember there was a picture of world political leaders in a religious newspaper where they photo-shopped out Angela Merkel. I'm glad to say though that these people are in a tiny minority in Israel and are not in the slightest bit representative of Israelis I know.

I agree with you, though - the film company should have just refused to advertise in thhose bits of the city (after all it's not like they're going to get a big audience from these people).

I read an article on how the ultra-orthodox are a tiny minority, BUT are supported financially, and perhaps also politically by those who feel they aren't religious enough.
That worries me.

If no one felt the need to cater to this minority, they'd just not give them any advertising at all. Which is what I think should have been done.

Dont they know Smurfette is trans? No problem!

I they were that religious they wouldn't be looking at advertising billboards anyway. I used to have a right old time with some of my ad planning to certain groups of people!

So what happens if someone does accidentally go in to a cinema and see the offending Smurf?

The reasoning is that people can choose to go to the cinema, but what is seen on a billboard cannot be unseen.
Its probably the same policy throughout the middle east. No one in the West will boycott the middle east because of gun deals and oil.

f this particular religious community objected to images of black people, would those companies still go along with it?

Cultural as opposed to religious, but if the news stories from a while back about changes made to promo material for Star Wars in China are accurate, yes.

edition.cnn.com/2015/12/08/asia/star-wars-china-racist-poster/