DALLAS, Jun 6, 2007 / FW --- Indecency or a victim of politics? Street Ahead’s billboard ad in Los Angeles (see photo above) was yanked down after complaints from Jack Weiss, LA’s 5th District Councilman.
The campaign image features three models whose pants have fallen down around their ankles because they aren’t wearing any belts. “Streets Ahead. It Isn’t Fashion Without Us” is the company’s adopted tagline used to drive the outdoor campaign.
The campaign has been up and running on billboards located in prominent locations throughout the city for a period of about two months but it was only a matter of days after the ad appeared on a digital billboard located at the intersection of Olympic & Bundy when it was pulled. This intersection lies within the 5th District.
“The models are wearing about 90% more clothing than most fashion models”, states creative director, Richard Yelland, whose firm Curtis Birch, Inc. created the campaign. “The ads were yanked without question even though there are far racier ones in the marketplace.”
According to reports, Jack Weiss plans to run for City Attorney in 2009. But, he is currently in political hot water. As reported by the Los Angeles Times on May 23, 2007, Weiss is the target of a recall effort by a group of Westside homeowners, who are part of the council member’s 5th District.
This is not the first time that a fashion billboard had clashed with the establishment. A little over a year ago, French design duo Marithé & Francois Girbaud had to take down their billboard featuring their ad jeans ad campaign from the whole of France because of their use of the Christian religious icon, the cross. The French Catholic Church deemed it blasphemous.
Still, there is a very big difference between the church and the government. The church, by its very nature tends to lean on conservatism and predisposed to judge on what is deemed decent or indecent.
But, the government is not tasked to legislate on morality; in this case, whether a billboard is ‘decent or indecent’ especially with the current atmosphere of liberalism in advertising.
The constitution guarantees freedom of speech; advertising is part of this freedom. For a Los Angeles council member to decide solely that a billboard is ‘indecent’ is an infringement on the freedom of speech.
Or, did Jack Weiss act alone? Was the Los Angeles City Council behind Weiss’ actions, i.e., did they pass a resolution saying that the Streets Ahead billboard is indecent?
Has the City of Angels turned conservative all of a sudden? With Hollywood literally a stone’s throw away, what will happen to the racy movie scenes being advertised on billboards? Will they be yanked down too?
Meanwhile, Yelland, who has provided two creative images of the same tongue-in-cheek nature has submitted alternative artwork (see below) to Clear Channel for review and is presently awaiting response.
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