Does PETA's New Ad Promote Violence Or Good Sex?
 

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PETA’s 'Boyfriend Went Vegan' ad features young woman who appears to have been abused
Animal rights group insists it's playful, but some viewers disagree

BY RHEANA MURRAY / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Tuesday, February 14, 2012, 6:31 PM

A new ad meant to tout the benefits of a vegan diet instead paints a bleak portrait of domestic abuse.

The controversial commercial, from animal rights group PETA, shows a young woman walking home. She's wearing a neck brace, and clutching her jacket as she grimaces in apparent pain.

It's a dismal scene that seems fit for an anti-violence ad.

A narrator explains:

"This is Jessica. She suffers from BWVAKTBOOM, 'Boyfriend Went Vegan and Knocked the Bottom Out of Me,' a painful condition that occurs when boyfriends go vegan and can suddenly bring it like a tantric porn star."

Once Jessica arrives home and chucks a bunch of celery at her boyfriend, it becomes clear that she's roughed up from sex, not abuse.

Her boyfriend's vegan diet has simply set his libido into overdrive, it seems.

According to Linsday Rajt, PETA's associate director of campaigns and outreach, the commercial is "tongue-in-cheek."

“She had vigorous sex, so she looks disheveled. But the bottom line is, she’s coming back from the grocery store with an armful of vegetables because she enjoyed it so much,” Rajt explained to the Daily News. “It’s meant to be humorous.”

“We’re kind of issuing a fun warning to people that if their partner goes vegan, they will have so much stamina that it will knock them over,” she said.

Rajt also says the ad is a great health message for men, pointing out that many men don’t realize that high cholesterol found in animal products can create problems for sexual performance.

Part of the BWVAKTBOOM campaign is a racy website that lists “tips” on silent screaming, Kegel exercises and sex-proofing the bedroom.

The ad can also be viewed on the NSFW website.

Despite PETA's insistence that the campaign is all in good fun, some viewers think the group went too far.

“I think it’s sad that you equate good sex with painful, violent sex, I guess you’re trying to be sarcastic,” wrote James Jewell, in the comments section of the organization's website.

“Cannot find the humor in this at all!” wrote another viewer, Mum LaCroix. “I worked with domestic violence for 4 years . . . this ad is not amusing.”

“PETA . . . stopping abuse of animals ... but promoting it for women.”

According to Michael Learmonth, digital editor at Advertising Age, PETA was going for “shock value” with the ad.

“But I don’t think portraying women as beat up physically is a good idea, even in jest,” he said to Yahoo News.

“These ads aren’t made for TV, so the strategy here is that they will cause controversy, trigger coverage and go viral.”

The ad, which released on Valentine's Day, isn’t the first time the group has used the “sex sells” tactic in a campaign.

PETA’s anti-milk Super Bowl ad showed a group of women stripping their shirts off and revealing not breasts but udders. The ad was banned from airing, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Last summer, the group announced it was creating a porn website. PETA.xxx has yet to launch, but the organization has said its goal is to have a “pornography site that draws attention to the plight of animals,” according to the Huffington Post.


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PETA consists of the biggest ****ing nutjobs they can find.

Women don't want vegan boyfriends.

Men don't want women who want their men to be vegans.

My questions is who goes to the grocery store to buy celery wearing nothing but a bra, panties, and a coat?

If someone made a commercial depicting what appeared to be an abused puppy, which turned out to be a sarcastic spoof not based on abuse, how do you think PETA would respond?

****ing loons...

This is what they want, you realize that, right? The intent is to be so stupid that people talk about the video.

Mr. Plow.

Exactly. It's perfectly alright to hurt your own species, but heaven forbid an animal get hurt. I've been hearing on the news about a local legislation making animal rights not equal to human rights. Why on earth should you even need that type of ordinance?

I still don't see the idea behind "bad publicity is still publicity." Why would you want people to talk about it, if they're not saying good things?

I don't understand all the veggie hate, it's just broccoli dude.

PETA=People Eating Tasty Animals

I love my cat, but if it came down to saving my cat's life or my own, she loses. I can't say that if it came down to saving my life over a friend or family member.

Human life is worth more than any animal, it's not really that complicated.

Yo.

Because you're a PETA asshole.