Happy Prostitute Ads : Brazil Makes Right Choice By Removing Campaign [Op-Ed]

“Happy prostitute ads” in Brazil have been scrapped after further review by the Ministry of Health, and though the campaign had it’s purposes, the decision is the right one. The controversial ads were put in place to overlook prejudices and to create a more accepting vibe towards safe sex, but the campaign has now been squashed before it had the chance to take off.

The online campaign carried a message that could be interpreted many ways, and it also featured two slogans that were bound to receive backlash.

“I’m happy being a prostitute” and “I cannot be seen without a condom, my love,” were two slogans used in the advert campaign, and as expected, both immediately received criticism for giving prostitution a glamorous outlook. There are multiple reasons to let the campaign go, and for starters, the slogans could have been used to shed some light on safe sex practices instead of the confusion that occurred.

As HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases are currently on the rise, Brazil expected the campaign to raise awareness for safe sex. Instead, their message has sent mixed signals across the world, making the decision to cut the “happy prostitute ads” that much easier.

Alexander Padilha, the head of the Health Ministry, explained that “the role of the ministry is to have specific content to encourage prevention among sex workers.”

“I do not think this is a message the ministry should be sending. For as long as I remain in office and add like that will not be part of our campaigns,” he added later after the campaign was pulled before it’s release.

Trying to remove the stigma behind sex as a career isn’t the worst idea, but the chosen angle just didn’t fit. Now, Brazil will go with an alternate campaign that will be called, “Not ashamed of using a condom.”

They’ve already made the right adjustments as promoting prostitution may not only send the wrong message, but also encourage young men and women to perform unsafe sexual practices.

Do you believe Brazil made the right choice by cutting the “happy prostitute ads” before they had a chance to take off?

[Image via © Tomas Castelazo, www.tomascastelazo.com / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA-3.0 ]