A controversial ban has come into effect in India. The country has ordered its television broadcasters not to allow “overtly sexual” deodorant commercials, suggesting them to be “indecent, vulgar and suggestive”.

Bidding goodbye to provocatively-dressed female models lusting after males in such racy adverts, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting have been quoted in the Financial Express newspaper: “The depiction and portrayal of women in these ads are overtly sexual. The ads brim with messages aimed at tickling the libidinous male instincts and portrayal of women as lustily hankering after men.”

These adverts have drawn suitable criticism and controversy; in one such advert, the depicted woman is so intoxicated by a man’s deodorant that she starts unbuttoning her blouse, while in another a woman lusts after her sweet-smelling brother-in-law.

The ministry has announced this crackdown following evidence that these commercials violate advertising codes, stating that: “Cable operators should ensure that the portrayal of the female form… is tasteful and aesthetic and within the well established norms of good taste and decency.”

Sources believe that the companies in question would not respond publicly to the ban due to the sensitive nature of the issue in India. Indian broadcasting has often been dictated by moral laws as the country’s tradition and heritage still command levels of conservativeness, although there has been marked liberal progress in tacking these mindsets in the last few years. One might wonder, then, if this step is a ‘return to values’?