I am writing this letter to draw your attention on the advertisement policy. The level of advertisements is too much high these days. No matter you are driving, walking, shopping, watching TV or surfing net, you would come across explicit ads in the shape of huge billboards or commercial ads.
It seems that without watching ads we cannot do anything. In Pakistan, advertising agencies earn a lot of fame and money due to which they forget decency and cross the boundaries that exist in the world of advertisements. Print, electronic and social media are the sources of information, ideas and opinion for all ages of people. They have potential to propagate the gender inequalities and breaking stereotypes. We see many billboards on the roadside displaying indecent images of women. My question is that why a woman is used as an object always. If beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, then controversy lies in the mind. I would like to ask if it is okay to publish such ads that leave unanswerable questions in our minds.
Some people are of the view that it is a freedom of expression, men and women are equal in Islam. It is definitely true that Islam has given equal rights to both of them, but there are certain limitations that lie in the circle of women and which shouldn’t be crossed.
We live in an age of competition where advertisements have gained a great importance. The business activity in the country mainly depends on advertisements, but there are some limitations. If somebody crosses these boundaries, it would be considered as unethical and inept.
AMMARA JAVED
Rawalpindi