'Censorship' of women’s legs by Istanbul municipality raises eyebrows

Demet Cengiz ISTANBUL

Banners cover the legs of models on a swimsuit billboard.

"Censorship" of billboard advertisements featuring women’s bare legs in the streets of Istanbul has raised eyebrows, seven years after a ban on bikinis stirred anger against the municipality.

Clear differences were spotted between the original ads and the images shown on Istanbul billboards, with the ads of several swimsuit, sock and underwear brands apparently clipped to hide the legs of female models.

An official from one company, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they had cut women’s legs from the photos in order to receive approval from the Urban Design Directorate of the Istanbul Municipality. 

“The Urban Design Directorate didn’t approve our ads, so after going there and coming back several times, ads with numerous cuts left the women legless,” the official told daily Hürriyet.

The Istanbul Municipality’s refusal to hang advertisements of swimsuit companies depicting women in bikinis and swimsuits had sparked a great public reaction back in 2007.