Are shock ads appropriate?

gzlaser

A BILLBOARD in Milan, Italy recently sparked controversy with its shocking image of a naked and morbidly thin woman.

It was an advertisement for a local fashion brand. The company claims the ad is designed to alert people to the dangers of anorexia, an eating disorder that is often associated with an excessive desire to lose weight. The woman in the picture, 27-year-old Isabelle Caro, is an anorexic and weighs only 31 kilograms.

While most people agree that anorexia is a health and social issue that needs to be taken seriously, not everybody likes the way the problem was presented. Many people say that they are shocked and deeply moved by the image. Others, however, complain that the ad is offensive. They say that people on the street may be disgusted by such an alarming image.

Do you think it's appropriate to resort to such radical measures to deliver an important social message?