By Beauty Damned

Oops. I Didn't Know We Couldn't Talk About Sex

My eyes! My eyes! They've seen the most dastardly sinful thing!!!

Animated Frog's Genitals -- Okay for TV?

LONDON (Reuters) - Despite complaints from 60 people, Britain's advertising regulators said Wednesday there is nothing inappropriate about the genitals of an animated frog whose high-pitched squeals are sold as a mobile phone ringtone.

Television adverts of the motorcycle-riding Crazy Frog, who is drawn with a broad smile and a tiny penis, run frequently on British television, amusing, baffling and annoying viewers.

"While unusual for an animated model of this type to be shown with genitalia, no sexual or inappropriate references were made about its anatomy," the UK's Advertising Standards Authority said.

Twenty-two people complained they were worried children might see the advertising, which also promotes screen savers and mobile videos. Five parents said they were embarrassed by questions their children had asked.

Other viewers simply found the commercial annoying and thought it was shown too often.

"We appreciate that the frequent broadcast of the same, or similar commercials can be annoying to some viewers," the ASA said. "However, it is for the advertiser and broadcaster to decide how often a particular advertisement is shown."

Because the ads contain a text number to place an order, they are barred from being shown during children's programs, and the ASA said there were no reports of children being concerned by the advert.

The ads were created by Germany's Lorena Medienagentur GmbH for Jamba! AG, trading as Jamster.

In The United States this advertisement already would have been pulled due to the fascist FCC and prude Christian society that is apprently the majority in this country, but in Britain, those who wish to kvetch about the inappropriate nature of this advertisement are rightly ignored. I will never understand, where naked bodies are concerned, why parents say stupid things like "how do I explain it to my children?" or "I felt so uncomfortable when my child asked me what that was between the frog's legs!" What the hell is so uncomfortable about saying "it's a penis sweetie, just like you've got."? If this is something you feel uncomfortable saying to your child, perhaps you shouldn't have kids. Explaining nature and its purpose is part of your job.

For me, it comes back to the Janet Jackson Superbowl exposure. I understand the concept that people were not expecting to see that during a football game and that it was mildly startling, but I find it so strange that anyone would take such profound offense at something as inane and udderly harmless (please forgive the pun) as a natural breast. Personally, I'd rather have my child see a real naked breast than just 3/4 of a pair of big huge fake ones. Now THAT'S something that's a little difficult to explain. The person who doesn't mind their child watching full grown men tackle eachother on television, smack eachother's asses, fans acting like infants, their own father sitting next to them like a useless pile of dung pulling back beers and promoting the stereotypical machismo that naturally comes along with barbaric sports, is the same parent that is offended at the sight of a naked breast and feels vexed and disturbed by the prospect of having to explain its very existence to their child. Later on those parents are going to have to explain to their children that the reason the child has grown into a sexually repressed adult wasn't actually a result of seeing Janet Jackson's breast, but a result of seeing such a negative, horrified reaction to Janet Jackson's breast. I still think that the biggest problem people had was that it was a black woman's breast. I think that hit those repressed gringos right in the gut.

The world would be a better place if people didn't repress their children sexually while allowing them a limitless diet of violence and barbarism.

When a parent teaches their child that bodies are dirty and offensive, the obvious effect is a feeling of repression and shame about one's natural sexuality and physical being, not to mention that of others. This seems to lead to all kinds of problems later in life. A lack of awareness about sexual protection, a sense of confusion about sexual desires, perhaps even conflict and rage as a result of repression. When will religious folk stop behaving as if to have a body is in itself a sin? And when will they stop passing it on to their children? There's no crime in modesty, but there is definitely something wrong with acting as if sexuality is bad and bodies are shocking and offensive to behold. Especially the animated body of a shrieking frog. That is just taking things waaaaay too far in the "oh dear I've never been so offended!" department.