The DA Is Down With the Swirl, Nudism

You've got to hand it to the DA: how many people were even aware of the Democratic Alliance Students' Organisation's existence before this ad featuring a mixed-race couple straight out of central casting and the tagline "In our future, you wouldn't look twice". Presumably this future includes the legalisation and acceptance of public nudity because I'm pretty sure more than a few people would look twice at a naked, embracing couple, regardless of race.


The DA's pro-nudity stance aside, is the fear of mixed race couplings even a thing for the target audience? Sure, there was some grumbling when the oh-so-cutting-edge 7de Laan finally wrote in a mixed race relationship a few years back (looking forward to the show acknowledging the existence of gay people sometime in 2034), but that was limited to a few tannies.

The bigger controversy, as always in our strict Calvinistic culture, is that they're starkers. Accusations are flying that the DA is using cheap sex to sell itself. To which I say, welcome to advertising. The poster is lazy, not particularly original and an odd choice considering the product, but it's not worth the controversy it's generated over its supposed sleaziness.

There is another objection to the poster. Some feel the use of a white man and a black woman is echoing the colonial power structures between white men and black women. There is merit to the idea that it would be more subversive to have a black man and a white woman, but the whole argument of its offensiveness is built on the idea that there is something wrong with the very idea of a white man/black woman pairing, rather than the way it's presented. The white guy isn't framed as dominant or the black girl as submissive. They're both standing facing each other, staring into each others' eyes in a very equalising position. The white dude is actually more sexualised than the black girl, since the box is covering up most of her body. It's framed quite tastefully.



Think I'm full of shit? Look at the difference between this poster and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo poster. This is how you frame a power discrepancy. Lisbeth's up front, body fully exposed, while Blomkvist is fully clothed clutching her protectively from behind.

Who says my Media Studies Degree was worthless?



I'm just happy the ANC didn't come up with this idea first otherwise we might have ended up with Julius Malema's bare ass on a poster.