Gok Wan Target Australia: Ad Complaints

Really? Are we doing this?

Okay, maybe I am just blindly a Gok Wan fan from way back (see clips from his shows below), but Gok's Target Australia TV ads have been complained about, specifically his ad for the chain store's bras and bra fittings.

"Your bangers will never feel more loved," Gok says about the bra fittings.

According to an article in 'The Age' newspaper, people have complained to the Advertising Standards Bureau about his use of this term.

Here is the Target Australia ad being scrutinised:

"I find it distasteful that he uses the term 'bangers' to describe women's breasts," one wrote to the Bureau. "If a straight man were to use similar language during prime-time TV, there would be a huge outcry by women claiming sexist behaviour. There should be no different standards of acceptable language simply because a man appears to be gay."

Another complained: "Who on earth calls their breasts 'bangers' and why do we have to watch an obvious gay man talking about women in this way? It is insulting."

A small number were offended because of Wan's sexuality:

"It's an offence to any decent person to watch some queer guy advertising and blaspheming and using insulting descriptive words re a woman's body and to be prancing around half dressed guys," said one.

Target defended its star:

"Target strongly believes that a person's sexuality is irrelevant to their worth as a person. Target makes no apology for using a gay man in its advertising and we do not believe that this should be grounds for upholding a complaint."

As for the use of "bangers", they countered it was an "irreverent term of affection", used "in wry acceptance" that some women are unhappy with their breasts, adding that the word's colloquial British roots meant that "bangers" was another word for "boobs".

The complaints were dismissed by the Bureau, saying that the ad was positive and light-hearted, and that "bangers" was not deemed discriminatory - its use was part of Wan's persona.

To read more of The Age piece, click here.

Here are other fun Target ads:

Here are some Gok clips I adore:

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