Seoul Milk Organic Product Ad Compared to Female Dairy Cows
LG Dual Monitor Ad Sparks Controversy Over 'Illegal Filming Mockery'
Experts Say "Sexualized Portrayal of Women Is a Deliberate Scene"
Some scenes from the advertisement Seoul Milk released on the 29th of last month. The women on the left side changed to the cow on the right side in the latter part of the advertisement. / Photo by YouTube capture
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Seohyun] Seoul Milk has released an advertisement video that likens women to dairy cows, drawing heavy criticism for its promotional approach. Seoul Milk has a history of controversies over the sexual objectification of women in its marketing, and last year LG Electronics also faced backlash for sexualizing women in its product ads, prompting calls for the advertising industry to improve its gender-biased perceptions.
On the 29th of last month, Seoul Milk released a video promoting its organic milk products on its official YouTube channel and held an event where viewers who left comments with their impressions could win prizes through a draw.
The approximately 52-second advertisement features women dressed in white lying on a meadow performing yoga poses and gathering by a stream to drink water. A close-up shot shows a woman drinking dew collected on a leaf. A narration follows, saying, "They drink clean water from pristine nature, insist on an eco-friendly organic diet, and live peacefully in a pleasant environment."
A woman appearing in the advertisement is trying to drink water by the stream. Photo by YouTube capture
A man attempts to secretly film them under the pretext of "capturing the secret of Seoul Milk's organic milk." As he steps on a branch, the sound causes all the women to transform into dairy cows. The video ends with the line, "Pure 100% Seoul Milk, organic milk from an organic farm with clean water, organic feed, and a pleasant pristine natural environment," alongside a smiling man drinking milk.
Netizens responded with criticism such as "A disgusting idea has become reality" and "Lack of gender sensitivity." Some social media users pointed out that the ad likened women to dairy cows and included content of secretly filming women, expressing discomfort with "likening women to dairy cows is very unpleasant."
In response to the controversy, Seoul Milk deleted the advertisement from its official channels on the 8th and apologized, stating it would "take care to prevent similar issues from occurring."
Seoul Milk has previously sparked controversy by staging performances with female nude models. At an event held in a gallery in Insadong, Seoul, with about 90 attendees, the organizer promoted a new milk product by featuring three nude female models spraying yogurt on each other's bodies with spray bottles.
Promotional video of the smartphone 'V60 ThinQ' released by LG Electronics last year / Photo by LG Electronics Poland TikTok account
Last year, LG Electronics' overseas smartphone advertisement also caused social uproar due to sexist portrayal. In May of last year, LG Electronics Poland posted a promotional video for its flagship smartphone 'V60 ThinQ' on the company's official TikTok account.
The video depicts a man secretly filming a woman from behind as she climbs stairs. When the woman hears the shutter sound and realizes she is being filmed, she protests. The man deceives her by saying he did not take a photo but used a separate screen accessory called 'Dual Screen.' When the woman apologizes and turns away, the man clenches his fist and cheers. The video garnered over 2 million views.
On social media, the video was criticized for trivializing illegal filming of women. One user commented, "I cannot understand how LG approved the release of such a promotional video." Shortly after the controversy, the video was removed from LG Electronics' account.
LG Electronics Poland explained on its official TikTok account that "content not aligned with LG Electronics' policies and standards was posted," adding, "The corporate digital marketing team failed to properly filter the content, and it was immediately deleted." They apologized for any discomfort caused by the careless content and pledged to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Experts say the controversial Seoul Milk advertisement reflects the low level of gender sensitivity in everyday life in our society and reveals a lax attitude toward illegal filming.
Attorney Lee Eun-ui (Lee Eun-ui Law Office) stated, "The controversial advertisement is an incident that shows how significantly lacking gender sensitivity is in every corner of our society. Despite numerous people involved in the advertisement's production, no one predicted or considered the impressions or emotions it would evoke. An advertisement meant to attract public favor instead provoked disgust."
She added, "The explanation that both men and women appear is just an excuse. The men in the background are barely visible, and the scene of a woman drinking dew dripping from a leaf is clearly an intentionally designed shot to convey sexiness and purity."
She further explained, "The reason the man's filming of these women feels like 'molka' (illegal hidden camera) is because the situation of the subjects can easily be interpreted sexually. This incident also reflects the older generation's perception of illegal filming as merely a prank or the behavior of morally low individuals."
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