Britain's media watchdog, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), has banned two posters of Angelina Jolie’s action flick Wanted after complaints rolled in that the images of the gun-toting actress glamorized the use of guns and violence.
The ASA said it had received 17 complaints from people who thought the ads were irresponsible because they glorify and glamorize gun crime at a time when there is increasing public concern in the UK about it.
One poster finds the Jolie crouching and holding a gun pointing upward while the other showed her lying on her back across a car's hood, brandishing gats.
"We considered, that because the ads featured a glamorous actress, action poses, several images of or related to guns and aspirational text, they could be seen to glamorize the use of guns and violence," the ASA said in an online ruling.
Meaning, if she were less glamorous or less famous, it wouldn’t be an issue? WTF?
Universal Pictures defended the posters, saying the style of the advertisements reflected the film's comic-book roots and providing examples of other ads they believed were more graphic and less stylized than their posters. They also noted that the posters were not placed near schools and appeared mainly in the London Underground system, which does not have a high proportion of children.
Of course, the point is kinda moot since the film has already come and gone and there aren’t really any posters still up. Nice timing, ASA…
