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‘Burger King digitally raped my face,’ says model in controversial Singapore ‘blow job ad’

BK adA model who appeared in a controversial ad for Burger King in Singapore from 2009 has lashed out in a self-created video on YouTube in which she says was unaware how her image would be used.

In a video entitled, ‘Burger King digitally-raped my face’, the model claims that a photo of her was sourced online and she had not agreed to it being used in the ad, which depicted an open-mouthed woman about to eat a BK Super Seven Incher and the words, “It’ll blow your mind away.”

“Is this an ad for blow-jobs or fast food?” she questioned in the video which ends with the words #Facerape on screen followed by a call to boycott the brand.

In the description block beneath the YouTube video, the model – who has withheld her name – wrote:

"Friends, family, coworkers, prospective employers who saw it assume I was a willing player"

“Those who saw it assume I was a willing player”

Burger King found my photo online from a series I did of various facial expressions and contortion poses, and with no due regard to me as a person, profited off reducing me to an orifice for their penis sludge; publicly humiliating me in the process. It was shown online as well as on bus stops and the walls and place mats of their restaurant.

When asked for comment from the press Burger King claimed the campaign went down well, however after some research I discovered The Advertising Standards Authority of Singapore (where it was released) received several complaints and the campaign had to be prematurely removed.

This is a top International food chain the world is watching that has a code of ethics they’re required to adhere to for that reason by law but did not in how they went about using my image.
Now due to the coverage its received (Time Magazine’s Top Ten Tasteless Ads, Business Insider, Buzzfeed, Gawker, Psychology Today to name a few) it’s part of the public domain. Just recently it was the topic of discussion in a media studies class of 500 students at the University of Toronto – where I live… and posted to the class Facebook discussion page.

Friends, family, coworkers, prospective employers who saw it assume I was a willing player. Those offended by it don’t know the extent of what’s wrong with the ad; that I didn’t know about this being done to my image, let alone agree to or pose for the scenario.

Why not hire a model to pose with the sandwich?

There is something VERY wrong with the fact that they felt entitled to do that to my face without signing a contract with me.

I believe in sexual expression in art and the media; it’s beautiful and necessary for a healthy society but IT MUST BE CONSENSUAL otherwise it’s RAPE.

Nice family restaurant you’re running there Burger King.
#boycottbk #facerape

#SuckOnYourOwnSlimySevenIncher

The campaign was created by Singapore agency Religion, which closed following the move of founder Francis Wee to Ogilvy & Mather Shanghai in 2012.

At the time it was created, Burger King moved to distance itself from the ad, which was attacked online for being sexist. The company said in a statement from its global HQ in the US: “This advertisement is running to support a limited promotion in the Singapore market and is not running in the U.S. or any other markets. It was produced by a locally-based Singapore agency and not by BKC’s U.S. advertising agency of record, Crispin Porter and Bogusky.”

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