Censorship on women’s legs by Istanbul municipality raises eyebrows

Censorship on ads featuring women’s bare legs in the streets of Istanbul raised eyebrows seven years after a ban on bikinis incited widespread fury at the municipality.

Clear differences between the original ads and the images exposed on the billboards of Istanbul brought the interference with the photos into light.

Comparisons with the original frames reveal that advertisements of several swimsuit, sock and underwear brands are being clipped to hide female legs.

A company representative, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said they had cut women’s legs from the photos to receive approval from the Urban Design Directorate of the Istanbul Municipality
“Urban Design didn’t approve our ads and after going there and coming back several times, ads with numerous cuts left the women legless,” the company official told daily Hürriyet.

Istanbul Municipality’s refusing to hang swimsuit companies’ ads depicting women in bikinis and swimsuits in 2007 had sparked a great public reaction.

The municipality has denied the censorship, but companies have insisted on the contrary.