Dilma Rousseff, Gisele B?ndchen Draw Daggers over 'Sexist' Ad

Dilma Rousseff prefers to be referred to as Brazil's "female president", instead of just "president". Photo by EPA/BGNES

Brazil's Bulgaria-descended President Dilma Rousseff has faced an unlikely and very sexy opponent - supermodel Gisele B?ndchen.

Brazil's first female President, whose election brought about a real sexual revolution and many females in the offices of the resolutely macho country, has been angered by a TV ad, featuring a semi-naked B?ndchen.

In the ad, promoting Hope lingerie label, a pouting Gisele B?ndchen shows women what is the best approach if you want to break some bad news to your husband - in high heels and sexy lingerie.

The ads "reinforce the wrong stereotypes of the woman as a husband's mere sex object and ignore the great advances we've achieved in deconstructing sexist thoughts and practices," reads a statement by Rousseff's Cabinet-level Women's Secretariat.

The secretariat approached the National Council for Advertising Self-Regulation (known by its Portuguese acronym Conar) to open an investigation into whether the campaign was sexist, and Conar accepted the request. A decision is pending.

Responding to the government's complaint, the company insisted that "the natural sensuality of the Brazilian woman [is] recognized worldwide," and it said the campaign's joking point was to show how that sensuality "can be an effective weapon at the time of giving bad news".

Bulgaria, which recently gave a warm welcome “home” to Dilma Rousseff, has also seen a change in the balance of the sexes. It is most visible in politics, where the ladies have made quite a few (mis)shots at power. A legion of women has been promoted by Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, who says "they are more diligent than men, don't take long lunches or go to the bar."

Bulgarian women feel Rousseff close to their hearts not only because her father was born here, but also because the two macho countries have been desperately needing an image overhaul.

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