Vaginal health firm is blasted for using the C-word in ‘offensive’ advert: ‘You can c**t on us’
A Swedish health company has been criticized for using the C-word on ‘offensive’ posters to promote vaginal vitamin supplements.
The ads, which were displayed on billboards at metro stations in Stockholm, show a woman with her underwear pulled down and reaching for a jar of tablets.
The posters read ‘Chaos down there? Don’t worry!’ in Swedish, with the English expression ‘you can c**t on us’ underneath in pink letters.
Health supplement company Elexir Pharma has been accused by Sweden’s advertising ombudsman of using the ‘offensive’ swear word to advertise its Happy Vagina vitamins.
It ruled yesterday that the adverts used ‘gross profanity’ in a way ‘intended to cause offence’.
A Swedish health company has been criticized for using the C-word on ‘offensive’ posters to promote vaginal vitamin supplements (stock photo)
The ombudsman added that c**t is the ‘most shocking swear word’ in the English language and is often used to ‘denigrate women’.
But Elexir Pharma has defended its marketing campaign, saying the use of the pun was a “conscious choice to challenge and break taboos around women’s abdominal health.”
It added that the posters were aimed at a Swedish audience and that the power of the C-word depends on how it is used.
“In Sweden it is not as loaded a term as it is in Britain and as a result the use of the word is more acceptable here,” Elexir Pharma continued.
‘In some situations, especially in feminist circles, the word has been reclaimed as a symbol of strength and resistance to patriarchal norms.’
However, this defense was rejected by the Advertising Ombudsman, who said the use of the C-word could offend consumers in general.
Health supplement company Elexir Pharma has been accused by Sweden’s advertising ombudsman of using the ‘offensive’ swear word (stock photo)
It also noted that Stockholm’s metro is full of ‘English speakers’ who would understand the term.
A British man who did not want to be named told The Local: “This particular swear word has a special place in the lexicon of swear words and Swedes don’t get that.”
“It was used in a context that was not funny, not clever and offensive,” he added.
A spokesperson for Elexir Pharma told The Guardian: ‘Our intention was to use the word in a context where it highlights the power of women and their right to their own bodies and health.’
MailOnline has contacted the health supplement company for further comment.