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Updated September 20th, 2021 at 18:49 IST

Durex India faces flak for using 'Sex Education' bus scene for new ad; rolls back

Condom brand Durex India received intense backlash for making a tone-deaf ad as they used a 'Sex Education' reference in their new advertisement

Reported by: Fengyen Chiu
Sex Education
IMAGE: Instagram/@sexeducation/ Twitter/@shreemiverma | Image:self
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Durex India, who are usually known for their quirky ads have found themselves on the receiving end of netizens backlash as they used a Sex Education reference in their new advertisement. The scene in question is from season 2 of the show where all the girls help Aimee to get on the bus after she is sexually assaulted on the bus by a pervert. The brand wanted to reference the latter part of the incident in their ad when Maeve, Vivienne, Olivia and Lilly get on the bus with Aimee to help her overcome the trauma of the incident.

Durex India slammed by netizens for using Sex Education reference 

Netizens slammed the condom brand Durex for its tone-deaf advertisement using a reference from the British comedy series Sex Education. The advertisement featured a bus and a bus stop, with body copy that said, “It’s just a stupid bus”, and then, “But it’s one memorable ride” below it whole promoting Sex Education Season 3. The scene in question is the one where Maeve, Vivienne, Olivia and Lilly get on the bus with Aimee to help her overcome the trauma of sexual harassment she faced while going to the school on the bus. 

After receiving intense flak on social media, Durex India took down the post but the screenshot of the post has been shared and retweeted several times on the web. One user shared Durex's response regarding the criticism over the ad from the now-deleted comment section of the post. Replying to a user's comment, Durex India wrote, "Hi! We thought of this as a landmark moment in the show - one that represented the power over abuse for women - and a scene where they reclaim their space, their freedom and their 'bus? We see it as a warm and happy reminder of solidarity and hence chose to celebrate it as so."

One user tweeted, "The "bus scene" in Sex Education is about women supporting each other and helping a friend overcome her fear of the bus because she was sexually assaulted there. I don't think selling condoms using this reference is the brightest idea."  Another user wrote, " Aimee was assaulted in this bus. Maeve said that to help her get over her fear of taking the bus. "BUT IT'S ONE HELL OF A RIDE" clearly overstepped the boundary here. NO ONE FROM your team thought this will trigger women who were assaulted in public busses."

Image: Instagram/@sexeducation/ Twitter/@shreemiverma

 

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Published September 20th, 2021 at 18:49 IST

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