Our executive director's letter to Virgin Mobile India about its use of the naughty nurse stereotype. (Our petiiton is now closed)

Dear Virgin Mobile: I am writing to ask you to reconsider the ad Virgin Mobile India has broadcast featuring a "naughty nurse" as part of its "Think hatke" (Think differently) campaign. As you know, in the ad a supposedly immobilized young hospital patient tricks a hot, compliant young nurse in a very short white dress. The patient has a friend call his cell phone, then asks the nurse to find the ringing phone and help him answer; that requires having her reach around in his pockets, that is, his genital area. Of course, this "think different" campaign recalls Apple's legendary ad campaign of the 1980's. But the Virgin Mobile ad does not represent anything "different" from the naughty nurse advertising that CEO Richard Branson and Virgin Mobile Canada indulged in several years ago, or from the ubiquitous naughty nurse imagery that has infected the globe for decades. The frequent depictions of nurses as sexually available females undermine real nurses' claims to adequate respect and resources during the global nursing crisis, and can encourage sexual abuse of nurses in the workplace. That is because even "jokes" can have a powerful influence on how people think and act--which is why ads like this use them so often to affect consumer behavior. I urge Virgin Mobile to think different. Thank you.