A Swedish health firm has been criticised for using the C-word in ‘offensive’ posters to promote vaginal vitamin supplements.
The adverts, which were displayed on billboards at metro stations in Stockholm, show a woman with her underwear pulled down reaching for a jar of tablets.
The posters read ‘Chaos down there? Don’t worry!’ in Swedish, with the English phrase ‘you can c**t on us’ added underneath in pink writing.
Health supplement company Elexir Pharma, has been blasted by the Swedish advertising ombudsman for using the ‘offensive’ swear word to advertise its Happy Vagina vitamins.
It ruled yesterday that the adverts used a ‘gross profanity’ in a way that was ‘intended to cause offence’.
The ombudsman added that c**t is the ‘most shocking swearword’ in English and is frequently used to ‘denigrate women’.
But Elexir Pharma has defended its marketing campaign, saying the use of the pun was a ‘conscious choice to challenge and break taboos around women’s abdomen health’.
It added that the posters were aimed at a Swedish audience and that the strength of the C-word depends on how it is used.
‘In Sweden it is not as charged a term as in the UK and as a result the use of the word is more acceptable here,’ Elexir Pharma continued.
‘In some situations, particularly in feminist circles, the word has been reclaimed as a symbol of strength and resistance against patriarchal norms.’
However, this defence was rejected by the advertising ombudsman, who said the use of the C-word can offend consumers in general.
It also noted that the Stockholm metro is full of ‘English speakers’ who would understand the term.
One British man who did not want to be named, told The Local: ‘This particular swearword has a particular place in the lexicon of swearwords and Swedes don’t get that.’
‘It was used in a context that wasn’t funny and it wasn’t clever and it was offensive,’ he added.
A spokesperson for Elexir Pharma told The Guardian: ‘Our intention was to use the word in a context, where it highlights women’s strength and their right to their own bodies and health.’
MailOnline has contacted the health supplement company for further comment.
