The current series of Ultra Tune television ads are estimated at putting gender equality back roughly 50 years. The series of ads, regularly run on Fox Footy this year, feature a pair of scantily clad plastic surgery horror stories who get themselves into a variety of far fetched scenarios which ultimately require the assistance of a more than willing Ultra Tune employee.
For unknown reasons, Ultra Tune has clearly decided to target the knuckle dragging male bogan with bad taste in women market – apparently a less-niche segment than first thought. While the assumption is that men in this target audience are interested in football, airing the ads during footy telecast is a virtual slap in the face to all other viewers.
Regardless of the insult to the intelligence of non-knuckle dragging viewers, social commentators say the ads put gender equality back five decades. Social analyst Greg Shannon claims, “the painting of the female protagonists as handbag clutching bimbos with no ability to drive an automobile is offensive to women and perpetuates gender stereotypes that are long outdated.”
When contacted for comment, Ultra Tune said they’d “get one of the girls in the office to call you back”. They didn’t.
The Watsonia Bugle 