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Spain's 'orgasm election ad' courts controversy
Published Nov 22 2010
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Spain has been criticised for showing a woman simulating an orgasm while casting her vote in a public television advertisement aimed at encouraging people to vote. In the absolutely absurd ad, the female voter is depicted as becoming "increasingly excited" as she appears to cast her vote for the Socialist Party in the regional elections, the BBC reports.
The video concludes with the line: "Voting is a pleasure" (in Spanish, of course). Needless to say, the public advertisement has come under fire from both sides of the political divide. Alicia Sanchez-Camacho, leader of the conservative opposition Popular Party of Catalonia, said that the video is an "attack on the dignity of women".
Bibiana Aido, the Socialist equality minister, added: "If it was true, electoral participation would go up greatly, but I think we are dealing with a misleading advert." The leader of the Green coalition in Catalonia, Joan Herrera, said that it would be "very difficult to reach orgasm voting for any of the candidates, [himself] included".
The only politician who was in favour of the controversial ad was the leader of the Socialist Party of Catalonia, Jose Montilla, who said: "If it encourages people to vote, it's a good thing." However, speaking in a TV interview, he appeared surprised to learn that it was a video by the youth wing of his own party.
