A sexually suggestive billboard for T.I.’s brand of menswear has been taken down.

A sexually suggestive billboard for T.I.’s brand of menswear has been taken down.
 
NJ.com reports that CBS Outdoor removed the ad from its post atop a Newark, New Jersey, building on Tuesday. The controversial billboard shows a kneeling woman tugging down a man’s AKOO jeans as she licks her lips. The unseen guy’s hand is firmly placed on the back of her head. 


 
The billboard caused a huge stir in Newark as residents and workers in the area complained that the scene was inappropriate. A column by Barry Carter posted to NJ.com made public what many in the area had only been whispering amongst themselves.



 
“Only one thought comes to mind when looking at the new billboard towering above downtown Newark. Okay, two,” he wrote. “Is the young, seductive woman about to have oral sex with the young man 30 feet above a major intersection of the state’s largest city? Or have they just finished?”
 
While many found the image offensive, AKOO asserts that was not the intent. The brand, which T.I. launched in 2008, released a statement saying it was aiming to “provoke dialogue and thought regarding male/female sexuality within urban culture.”

 
“THE AKOO brand has always aimed to inspire individualism and creativity,” the statement went on say. “We hope that as more of the campaign is debuted, people will see the multifaceted personality of AKOO.”
 
However, the scene at the center of the controversy seems to be right in line with other ads for AKOO’s Spring 2010 collection.  For example, a look at the brand’s homepage turns up a picture of a couple having sex in a public bathroom.


-- Sonya Eskridge


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