Young Designers Emporium quits spanking ads

The Young Designers Emporium spanking ads in South Africa that caffeinegoddess reported on last month have now been withdrawn by the YDE, after the ads received complaints.

The posters got some people so upset that apparently a punter rushed into the YDE shop at The Zone at Rosebank in March and ripped one of these posters in two. The Soul City Institute for health and Development said that the ads showed society's "silent approval of violence against women".
A manager of YDE in Gauteng, however, said to News24 that the campaign was withdrawn weeks ago, not because of complaints but because "It's time to introduce a new campaign". Perhaps this is a last-minute attempt to gather some sought-after word-of-mouth hype for a bunch of really mediocre posters?

News24 reports:

YDE's creator, Paul Simon, defended the spanking ad campaign on group's website, saying it was in line with YDE's "cheeky humor".
"It is a reference to S&M, a game to which both parties agree, which means there is no sexual exploitation.
"People are now confusing sex and violence," he said.