Dangerous roadside curves have raised the ire of Christian and Muslim leaders, who urged the judiciary on Tuesday to clamp down on billboards featuring scantily clad women.
But local billboard operators recommended self-censorship, saying the unregulated industry should be voluntarily observing varying community standards.
A petition to raise awareness and protest against “offensive advertisements” was signed by the acting president of the Higher Shiite Council, Sheikh Abdel-Amir Qabalan; Sunni Mufti Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani; Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Bahjat Ghaith; the Catholic Media Center; Tele Lumiere; and the Lebanese Women’s Council.
The signing of the petition, to be submitted to the state prosecutor, coincided with the opening of the International Advertising Association’s conference.
A conference was held at the Catholic Media Center in Jal al-Dib to discuss sexually explicit advertisements and efforts to get them off Lebanese roads. The representatives of religious leaders and nongovernmental organization activists attended the conference.
Although participants at the conference did not cite an actual example of material deemed offensive, they condemned ads that specifically exploit women’s bodies by projecting them in sexually suggestive ways.
Enormous flesh-heavy ads usually increase in number during this part of the year as advertisers promote curvaceous women in the bare minimum to sell swimwear, lingerie and slimming products.
Billboards are most often the medium of choice for such ads because of their low production costs compared to television.
Father Abdo Abu Kasm, head of the Catholic Media Center, said a team of experts and lawyers was preparing an advertising draft law that includes tight restrictions on offensive ads.
This draft, Abu Kasm said, will be presented to government officials and spiritual leaders.
Speaking at the conference, Abu Kasm said the campaign is not being driven by “fanaticism and old-fashioned values.”
“We are only questioning the fate of women’s dignity,” he said.
Participants decided to form a national follow-up committee that includes representatives from all confessions, universities, schools and youth movements.
They also announced that Tele Lumiere would devote Sunday, May 26, to interviews and discussion of the issue.
Henri Eid, former dean of Universite Saint Esprit-Kaslik, said society should fight such “cheap” publicity that aims only at financial gain at the expense of children’s innocence.
Advertising officials admitted that some billboard ads are quite sexually explicit.
Contacted by The Daily Star, Talal Makdessi, CEO of THI, said the overexposure of women’s bodies in advertisements has become a trend both in Lebanon and across the globe.
However, he said that billboards were the most frequent medium for such ads in Lebanon because of the lack of official censorship and cheap rates, making them attractive to small boutiques selling sexy clothes.
Antonio Vincenti, the head of the Pikasso billboard company, said his company practices self-censorship and tries to respect community standards, adding: “We must respect the way each and every parent wants to educate their children.
“Our freedom stops where the others’ starts and that’s our motto for self-censorship,” he said in explaining his company’s policy on controversial content.
Georges Chehwane, chairman of media house Groupe Plus, explained that under current laws billboard companies faced little official scrutiny. Although he indicated his company adheres to community standards, he said it usually had little control over billboard content.
“The syndicate of advertising agencies handles 80 percent of client posters … they are responsible for the content,” he said.

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