Should we ban "back pornography?"

Miley's scandalous back shot, courtesy Vanity Fair.

Miley's scandalous back shot, courtesy Vanity Fair.


I feel like the whole Miley Cyrus scandal was a just a tad bit, I don't know, overblown no? But on the tail end of that whole moment comes another controversial "back porn" image featuring some ladies that are actually over 18. Still, the Star Ledger reports that the naked backs in a new KRock radio station ad campaign appearing on billboards all over New York and New Jersey have stirred up the pot, with some residents of Denville, New Jersey saying the ads are lewd and should be taken down. After getting a few complaints Mayor Ted Hussa felt compelled to ask the station if they might change it. No such luck, but apparently they were receptive to the idea of avoiding advertising in certain zip codes in the future.

Tasteful? Eh, no. Shockingly lewd? Not really. (K-ROCK)

Tasteful? Eh, no. Shockingly lewd? Not really. (K-ROCK)

Alrighty then. Here's the ad in question. What do you think? Myself, I don't know. It's certainly not designed per my taste (and oh wow, it objectifies women, what else is new?), but I don't think it's overly lewd and I've definitely seen worse elsewhere and certainly on prime time TV. I mean, come on. No one says a damn thing when we see a man's back or even a man topless, (and yeah, images that objectify men happen a lot, too, or at least enough to help level the playing ground a bit). But why the crazy double standard? Boobs? Yes, boobs are shocking. Also shocking that over half of the world's population have a set, yet America remains one of the most nude shy, overly conservative nations on Earth when it comes to nudity, and apparently, we're really into banning sexy ads right now.

Okay, I told myself I wouldn't rant on that subject, but I gotta ask: When did bare backs become so pornographic? What's the big deal?