Ssssshhhhhhh! I’m not supposed to say these words. Let alone talk about them in public. Yes, I’m talking about condoms and sex.
Recently, the government imposed a ban on condom ads on television between 6 am to 10 pm as they thought it impacted the delicate and innocent minds of youngsters.
But it made me wonder whether banning such ads is a solution. So I thought of doing some research on the internet. As you know, Google Maharaj has all the answers to the questions running through our inquisitive minds, right?
And I noticed that there was so much information, data, videos and images related to sex and condoms easily available with just one click. And more than television, I guess people across all age groups have such easy access to the world wide web. So, merely banning ads on television isn’t going to be very effective.
In today’s times, when abortion rates have become very high and sex education has become the need of the hour, such policies and decisions by the government aren’t going to be of much help.
Although, I do agree that today’s adverts on condoms merely focus on the message of pleasure and the message of protection has taken a back seat and there should be action taken against ads that objectify women. But in such cases, the government should issue certain guidelines for ad filmmakers to convey the right message. Just like we see the ads of sanitary napkins, which convey the importance of using the product and the message. The message which is passed on in such ads is in line with the utility value of the products.
And I would also like to mention that if the government thinks that showing ads on television is harmful to the innocent minds or is not sanskaari (traditional) enough, then put a ban on the following too.
– Ban all lingerie and undergarment ads (on TV & print media both). They are easily accessible to anyone and everyone. They are quite provocative too.
– Ban all the fairness cream ads that are distracting youngsters and deluding them into believing that only fair is beautiful.
– Ban all the deodorant ads. They are playing with the minds of youngsters.
– Ban all the cartoons that teach and promote violence and absurd language.
– Just like a smoking disclaimer, any intimate scene in a movie should have a condom disclaimer too. I guess youngsters will surely take home the message of safe sex if this is done!
– Ban the ads that show new apps for kids that encourage mobile addiction in children from a young age.
And the list is endless.
It is true that sex education begins at home, and safety first should be a priority that should be emphasised upon. If any change has to come, it has to come from within us, the society. Banning isn’t a feasible solution and is not going to make much of a difference as there are always other sources easily available to get information from. Proper guidelines to ad makers might be a much more viable solution.
At the end of the day, I do wonder whether Sunny ma’am could see the sunny side up of the condom ad ban.