Playboy South Africa Draws Condemnation For Racy Anti-Rape Cover

A naked woman is used to "attract the reader's eye" to Playboy SA's cover decrying rape, a marketing tactic that isn't sitting well with gender equality activists.

The above cover of Playboy South Africa, meant to promote the magazine's campaign to end violence against women, has angered some women's rights activists.

"We oppose any picture or graphic that depicts women as any less of a human being. These pictures continue to perpetuate stereotypes and strip the dignity of women," said Patrick Godana, representative of the Sonke Gender Justice Network, in an interview with iOL News.

"Where Playboy misses the point is that in our society it's almost always women who are presented as objects for men's pleasure, not men," adds Colleen Lowe, Chief Executive of Gender Links.

Playboy South Africa Editor-in-Chief Charl du Plessis defended the controversial cover as "just suggestive enough to attract the reader's eye without distracting from the main message."

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