Created for and originally posted at Bitch Magazine’s Mad World Virtual Symposium
The widely popular video game Bayonetta has had an advertising campaign that matches the on screen sexism of the game itself. In Tokyo a large billboard in the subway invited passersby to literally strip off flyers to reveal Bayonetta naked underneath. The campaign is part of a bigger problem of corporate advertisers perpetuating or encouraging the sexual and physical harassment of women which is an epidemic in Japan (and many other countries, including the United States).
Related Links and Articles:
- High Rates of Street Harassment in Korea and Japan and Video Game Allows Subway Groping and Worse from the blog Stop Street Harassment
- Harassment on Public Transportation is No Joke from Gender Across Borders
- In Anonymous Packed Train Lurk Gropers from The Japan Times
Links to Bayonetta Billboard Images:
- Ads with flyer on body: Ad 1 and Ad 2 (it appears to be a mock up of the ad campaign)
- Ads with the flyers removed and images of the cards
- Example of screen cast of Bayonetta naked
Note: This is a slightly recut version of my Bayonetta Advertising video from back in 2010. In the original cut of the video I made a few jokes about the game that were misunderstood, poorly worded and helped create a torrent of hate via YouTube. In this version I’ve removed those jokes about the gameplay and character design to better focus on the actual point of the video which is the disturbing Tokyo subway ad campaign. All my original points remain intact.