PETA is certainly no stranger to provocative advertising, and its latest attempt to take on the wool industry with its “#WoolFreeWinter” campaign is no exception.
The group created two separate ads featuring models in open red long johns scratching their junk, one male and one female, ending with the tagline “Scratch Wool From Your Shopping List” and directing viewers PETA.org to watch a video exposing animal cruelty in the wool trade. Both ads were intended to run on digital billboards, above 42nd Street and at 1500 Broadway from November to January, but Neutron Media deemed the male version — which, unlike the female one, contains a hint of pubic hair, too suggestive, so it is running on PETA’s website instead. The website also features an editorial questioning if Times Square is sexist for rejecting the male ad. We’ve included it after jump, so you can decide for yourself.
“PETA routinely uses both men and women in sexy ads advocating for animal rights,” said PETA Senior Vice President Dan Mathews. “It was especially important in this campaign, as wool is marketed to both men and women who have no idea how violently sheep are mutilated in the shearing process.”