Bentoel Mild ads

My eleven year old son lodged a strong protest when he saw a commercial featuring a handsome model spending his leisure time in a hotel bathroom.

While relaxing in a bathtub full of bubbles, a hotel waitress rings a door bell carrying a tray of food.

Looking disturbed, he reluctantly walks to the door to answer the bell. When the door is opened, the waitress is quite shocked to see the guest's naked body (covered only with soap foam on his sensitive parts).

The man is so ignorant and seems to be proud to show his bare backside to the embarrassed waitress.

This is a commercial for Bentoel Mild screened at local television stations. I consider this commercial inappropriate and against the ethical code of advertisement applied in Indonesia.

My son harshly commented: "This adult man is so impolite. He should have worn a towel or a bathrobe usually available in a hotel. Maybe he has never been told how to behave."

It may be a spontaneous comment from a child, but as a mother I am very concerned. I believe many parents share my feeling.

Our family is practicing a tight television diet allowing every member to only watch important programs.

We encountered this advertisement soon after we watched news programs last weekend. I wonder about the purpose of the Bentoel Mild company and its advertising agency. Is the commercial aimed to attract people or just to show a vulgar art work?

RITA A. WIDIADANA

Jakarta