He's too sexy.

According to new rules on advertising created by the EU's women's right committee and approved by the EU parliament,regulatory bodies in charge of monitoring advertising are being asked to establish a "zero-tolerance" policy" against "sexist insults or degrading images."

Haven't these folks heard about YouTube?

It seems as incredibly odd timing to try to implement restrictions on advertising at a time when all anyone has to do is go online and the advertising is there for anyone to see.

But, that's exactly what's going on in the EU.

Gender stereotyping in advertising straitjackets women, men, girls and boys by restricting individuals to predetermined and artificial roles that are often degrading, humiliating and dumbed down for both sexes. Gender stereotyping in advertising is one of several factors that have a big influence in efforts to make society more gender equal.”                                                    Swedish MEP Eva-Britt Svensson,The British National News Party

When Goodby, Silverstein & Partners had the task of introducing a new brand image for Rolling Rock Beer,it used the reputation of the FCC as an agency that bans inappropriate advertising to create a campaign of faux TV ads. In the campaign, they aired a spot with a spokesperson for the beer company apologizing for their inappropriate ads--ads that never actually aired on TV.

One of those  faux tv ads was Man Thong.

Once the word was out that the ads were available for viewing online - the Rolling Rock Beer site got more hits in two days than it had the previous year.

Oh, and according to Nielsen research, Rolling Rock sales have jumped by double digits this year. That is the point of advertising:to increase awareness and drive sales.

As bloggers try to analyze the potential impact of zero-tolerance against sexist insults and degrading behavior, many are asking how far will it go.

The committee’s provision is not a law, but it anyway may be considered by individual European Parliaments when dealing with advert control and regulations. The provision has already been called “inflexible and impractical.”
[...]If EU individual parliaments do like the idea of banning sexy ads, it might be that lots of models won’t be able to do their job as faces of underwear ad campaigns. The industry will financially degrade. What do you think about it?
                                                                   Glam Our Vanity

 So Far, there hasn't been a great deal of applauding for these new regulations.

I am sick of all the suggestions that women are such sensitive and ignorant creatures they can't cope with good natured humor and their accurate portrayal as the more attractive half of the human race.

Just as it is legitimate, and good marketing, for an advertiser to hawk his goods against the backdrop of a stunning tropical sunset, adding a magnificently beautiful women in a micro mini can hardly be said to be a slam against the gender
                                             Just A Girl in short shorts talking about whatever

In the U.S. the regulatory agency monitoring TV advertising is the FCC.

To date, the FCC bans obscene messages from airing, but the definitions do not include objectionable sexist stereotypes beyond the use of some slanderous words. And while the role of sexism in the media is not a foreign concept - I have yet to see an American organization release a “best practices guide to gender equality.” I’d certainly like to.
                                                  Cara Woods, DMNews Direct Line

Which of course explains why Carl's Jr's Paris Hilton Ad was not banned on U.S. Television. They bought in to the restaurant's response to criticism that the commercial was soft porn.

Andy Puzder, CEO of Carl's Jr., says the group needs to "get a life... This isn't Janet Jackson; there is no nipple in this. There is no nudity, there is no sex acts; it's a beautiful model in a swimsuit washing a car."
                                                    Nicolae Sfetcu

No tolerance policies give me the heebie jeebies. They take good intent and warp it into nonsensical decisions and policies like the no toleranceon violence policies in schools that suspended a 10 year old on the playground home for using his fingers as a pretend toy pistol.

Given the choice, I'll take Paris Hilton ads every day of the week rather then having government make decisions on whether that ad straitjackets me.

I can make up my own mind thank you very much if an ad is sexist.

Will I eat at Carl Jr.'s? Not on your life-because I believe the way to change sexist advertising messages is not through some policy but through my pocketbook.

Elana blogs about business culture at FunnyBusiness