Calling women 'birdies' is 'offensive': South African regulator

Residents gather at a community meeting attended by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa (not seen) [AFP]

A billboard in South Africa showing two women in a car with the headline "not your average birdies" has been ruled offensive, the advertising regulator told AFP Thursday.

The ad, placed near a golf course in the city of Johannesburg, was for the real estate agency Chas Everitt, which can appeal the ruling issued on June 13 by the Advertising Regulatory Board (ARB).

"The use of the term 'birdie' constitutes negative gender portrayal," it said. "This advertisement is also offensive... as sexism is a problem that affects both women and broader society."

The decision followed an official complaint that there was "no mention of property on the board nor images that connect them (the two women) in some way to the work (of real estate agents)".

"It's not clear what attribute of the 'birdies' depicted in the billboard are above average, is it their looks, their car? Their makeup? Their hairdo?" the complainant was quoted as saying in the ruling.

The complainant also referred to a "community WhatsApp conversation supporting that the advertisement is widely disliked".

Similar to 'bloke'

Chas Everitt, in its response detailed in the ruling, said that "the term 'birdies' in the advertisement refers both to the agents depicted therein specifically (not all women, or people generally) and the golfing scoring term."

It said it was a play on words since the ad was placed near a golf course and "birdie" was a "desirable score in golf... therefore not offensive to women".

"The agents portrayed in the advertisement are clearly represented as professionals, in a manner that is neither demeaning nor objectifying," it added.

Additionally, the company argued that "the colloquial use of 'bird' is similar to the use of 'bloke' when referring to men".

However, the regulatory board said that the advert objectified and undermined women.

"The word 'bird' describes an animal, and referring to women in this way therefore objectifies them, while 'bloke' does not objectify men in the same way," the regulator said.

"Golf associations notwithstanding, the term 'birdie' is the diminutive of 'bird' and further infantilises the women it is referring to," it added.