Racy PETA Ad Dropped from Super Bowl Lineup

Although NBC has had a hard time selling Super Bowl commercial spots, it isn't too shy to turn down PETA's latest ad attempt.

Animal rights activist organization PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) sent NBC what they believed to be a harmless ad demonstrating women's love of fresh produce. To their surprise, NBC rejected the ad, saying that it "depicts a level of sexuality exceeding our standards."

On PETA's blog, The Peta Files, they posted NBC's list of visual shots in the ad that would have to be changed, including:

Licking pumpkin

Pumpkin from behind between legs

Rubbing pelvic region with pumpkin

Licking eggplant

Those are the tamest of the list. The full list can be found here. Though both the blog and the spokesperson for PETA said that the list made them blush, I'm having a hard time buying their statement that the commercial "is perfectly appropriate for the Super Bowl."

According to "studies" that neither the blog nor commercial cites, the focus or thesis of the ad is "Vegetarians Have Better Sex." The product of said thesis is a bunch of lingerie-clad models getting intimate with their vegetables. Take the idea of intimate, whatever that may be, and put vegetables in the picture. Most of the vegetables used are phallic in nature, most of them are made sexual objects, even if they wouldn't be convincing prior to watching the ad. Trust me, the models convince you.

View the video here.

PETA claims that such a commercial would be "a lot more appealing than the impotence and other not-so-sexy effects that a steady stream of chicken wings and burgers can have on their love lives." Though NBC has had its share of provocative sections in their shows and commercials, PETA's ad is more suited to a commercial lineup during the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.

But then again, that's the point. Although PETA insists that NBC's rejection of the commercial is ridiculous, the fact of the matter is, they never wanted it to get accepted in the first place. Sure they'd get attention during the Super Bowl. But they'd get more attention making the commercial as sexual and provocative as possible, getting rejected and announcing said rejection to the world. That, my friends, is clever.

Now everyone wants to see the ad and PETA is happy because everyone is watching, whether they agree with it or not. Congrats, we've all been duped by our curiosity.

My one suggestion:

Don't watch the ad at work. You may be pulled aside to get the talk about appropriate Internet use.

Wayne Friedman, Super Bowl Update: Slow Pregame Sell, 4 Game Spots Remain, Media Daily News

Amy Elizabeth, NBC's Sexually-Explicit Super Bowl Ad Rejection Makes Us Blush, The Peta Files

NBC Bans PETA Super Bowl Ad!