Sky Television has been accused of feeding into "rape culture'' with a Dunedin billboard advertisement featuring Hollywood actress Scarlett Johansson.
The pay TV company disagreed with the accusation yesterday, saying its campaign was "nothing to do with objectifying women'' and instead about its "On Demand'' service, which allowed people to watch their favourite characters when they wanted.
Rape Crisis Dunedin community educator Rachel Shaw said the billboard, which features Johansson next to the words "demand me'', objectified the woman.
Her pose, when paired with the words "demand me'', had sexual connotations, Ms Shaw said.
"There is definitely a sexual undertone, for sure.''
The advertisement was an example of ‘‘rape culture'', she said.
"I'm not sure if you would see a male in that same pose, with that wording beside [him].''
A Sky Television spokesman said the billboard was part of a wider campaign which featured a range of characters including Paddington Bear and The Terminator, with Tyrion Lannister from the show Game of Thrones the most used character.
"We were sorry to hear that offence had been caused. This was not our intention.
"The idea of this campaign is nothing to do with objectifying women; rather, it is that you can watch your favourite character in your favourite show or movie when you want On Demand.''
The billboards were scheduled to come down in the middle of next week.
"We don't believe the ad objectifies women or crosses any lines and we did not pull the billboards early.''
