
The society in which we live has radio stations that play songs about strippers, boys who buy video games with half naked women on the cover, and girls that fantasize of living the life of Vivian Ward from the movie Pretty Woman. Our culture glamorizes and accepts prostitution, when the truth of it is actually horrific. Many girls are not given a choice and are trafficked into the sex industry, an industry where they are violently beaten and forced to do things they normally never would. This is the reality of the matter and every girl’s worst nightmare. The Danish anti trafficking ad which shows girls packaged up as if they were meat, makes a statement against sex trafficking by depicting the girls as victims, and sends the message that awareness needs to be brought to this inhumane issue for any hope of improvement.

A huge component of girls being trafficked is that they are not seen as humans, but rather objectified. In the image, there is a barcode placed on the packaged up women. Barcodes are usually found on items like furniture, sporting good, or groceries. Not on human beings. The fact that there is a barcode on them leads the viewer to infer that these women are being seen merely as objects for sale. On top of this, the women are lined up side by side, their bodies touching. The lack of space between them shows no regard for their condition. They are treated as if they were literal chicken about to be sold. They are lined up this way to maximize the amount of them that can fit into the container because profit is the most important part of the sex industry, not the wellbeing of the girls. If the industry actually saw the girls as people they would care. Unfortunately, they are seen as objects that only matter for the purpose of making money. This is obvious, to anybody with a conscious, to be wrong and immoral. This image clearly depicts sex trafficking as negative to the girls involved.

Every human deserves to have rights and this images gets that point across. To add to this, the only actual text on this image is “Fresh Meat” written right above the barcode. Meat bought from the grocery store in most cases, is very bloody. There aren’t any clear signs of abuse like bruises or blood on the girls in the picture. However, being the only words written makes it very significant. Since the girls have not been violently harmed yet and in a package, it can be assumed that the girls are being shipped to whoever has bought them. When thinking of meat an image that a lot of people think of is a dog chewing on meat. In this case, that would make the person receiving them the dog and the girls the meat. Once the girls are stuck with the “dogs” this is when the violence will occur. The words labeling the package are a foreshadowing of what is in store for the girls. A future that is far from the fairytale like depiction the media always shows our society, and more like a scene straight out of a horror movie. 

The ad clearly gets the point across that girls trafficked into the sex industry are victims of inhumane treatment. While the sex industry is usually shown as glamorous, this image portrays the girls as anything but. They are shown stripped naked which is extremely derogatory. Normally when a woman does not have clothes on it would be viewed as sexualization, however in this case it is victimization. This conclusion can be drawn from each woman being in fetal position, the go to position when feeling unsafe. This makes a huge statement against prostitution by not depicting the women as sexy escorts but rather as helpless victims. On top of this they are bound so tightly in the saran wrap that it shines from being pulled so tight. The viewer can infer that this has to do with control, or rather lack thereof. Being bound tightly has to do with having no free will. Girls trapped in the sex industry have no control over their lives. They don’t have the ability to make their own choices and are under the control of others constantly. Being constricted to the will of others is a lack of rights and leaves those trapped in such situations helpless to their captors. 

After seeing the image, it may appear obvious that sex trafficking is wrong and should be put to a stop. However, it is not that simple. Sex trafficking is directly linked to prostitution, which the media falsely glamorizes. This causes our society to think prostitutes are living lavish, even fantasy like lives. The result of this is people are desensitized to prostitution and not even registering it as an issue. Along with this, many believe prostitutes choose their lifestyle, making them ignorant to the fact that the industry is rooted in sex trafficking. At first glance of the anti trafficking ad, it appears to be an ordinary pack of meat. Yet moments after realizing it is human beings that are shown packaged and not food, it sends a feeling of shock and horror to the viewer. This is the wake up call our society needs and the reason behind why the image was created. Society does not realize how prevalent this human rights issue is, therefore not knowing there is even a problem. 

The anti trafficking ad brings attention to how inhumane sex trafficking is. It shines a light on the hidden reality of prostitution and makes a clear stance against it by defying media’s false portrayal, depicting the girls as vulnerable victims rather than glamorous escorts. Most importantly, the ad raises awareness to the matter. If people do not know the truth about prostitution, how can they recognize that there are innocent victims subjected to a life they were forced into. The first step is awareness. Next time someone says it would be a dream to live the life of Vivian Ward, know that the dark and harsh reality for most prostitutes is hidden by the glitz and glam of Hollywood. 
