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A doctor who treats teens with bulimia and anorexia wants three large posters advertising lingerie in Havelock North's village centre taken down because they could undermine her patients' recovery.
The three posters on the top of Sheer Elegance, a lingerie shop on Te Aute Road, were erected about
two weeks ago but Nissin Browning believed the images could be offensive to young girls sensitive about their weight.
"There are many school students who will walk past it. I am a doctor and in the past 18 years I have treated a lot of bulimic and anorexic girls. That advertising is destructive to their rehabilitation," she said.
The owner of Sheer Elegance, Elaine Hogg, said she had taken time to select the images carefully to make sure they were "tasteful".
"We thought there might be some negative feedback from it but we felt that we had selected the right pictures to put up . . . most of the feedback we've had has been positive," she said.
"They (the images) are all of mature women and none would be under 25 years old," she said.
Mrs Hogg confirmed she had spoken to Mrs Browning at her shop and she had indicated then she intended to complain about the posters.
"And I said that was her right to complain," she said.
Mrs Browning had written to the Havelock North Business Association asking if the posters could be pulled down. She has also complained to the Hastings District Council.
"I went in and talked to the owner, but she just turned her back on me. (The posters) look like something I would see in the strip precinct in San Fransico," Dr Browning said.
Havelock North Business Association president Bart Thompson, who also operates the Havelock North Village Information Info site opposite Sheer Elegance, said he could not see a problem with the posters.
"I thought there may have been a problem at first.
"But I have asked a lot of elderly people (to view the posters) and I haven't had one complaint," he said.
Havelock North ward councillor Richard Jones, a former retailer, said he had seen the posters but would consider the images to be in line with what retailers selling lingerie would use.
"But I mentioned to Mrs Browning that if she is offended she should contact the resource management at council to see if the posters complied," he said.
The council's environmental manager, Ian Macdonald, said there were bylaws which prevented offensive signage from being displayed, under guidelines set by the Advertising Standards Authority.
"But there is no definition of what is offensive," he said.
Mr Macdonald said he had not received any complaints but an assessment could be made to determine whether the images were offensive.
Dr Browning, who came to live in Havelock North from Hawaii about 18 months ago, said she had talked to a few people in the village who found the posters offensive.
"The main thing that we want to make sure of is that this is a community issue. We are not talking about our own interests," she said.
Mrs Hogg, who also lives in Havelock North, said the posters would stay until they faded and would be replaced by new images.
"I just feel it is a little bit sad, there are more important things to be discussing," she said.
- HAWKE'S BAY TODAY
