WHEN BOXING IS CHILD ABUSE...

Some stars show you the way.  Muhammad Ali and a rising star, Phoenix, Arizona

 

LOUIS VUITTON

I first saw this Louis Vuitton ad on the back of the New Yorker in October, 2012, and, after weeks of being horrified by it, I mailed it to the publisher with a scribbled note of protest. Then it showed up in Vanity Fair (yeah, I subscribe to both) and I wrote to them on Guy Fawkes Day. Here is the text of my letter to Vanity Fair.

November 5, 2012

To the Editor:

The full page ad, with Muhammad Ali, on page 77 of the October issue is very disturbing. To see a brain damaged ex-boxer smiling as he observes a child about to follow in his footsteps is horrible. This is child abuse. What it has to do with luggage escapes me. I protested when this ad ran on the back cover of The New Yorker for 5 weeks. Now it turns up in your magazine. Please ask the ad agency for Louis Vuitton to find a better way to feature "the greatest" (who was as beautiful as this child once) without applauding the cruel sport that I blame for his present condition.

Sincerely,

Morna Murphy Martell
Formerly NY Bureau Chief and Broadway Critic
for The Hollywood Reporter

Even though I never received a reply, I'm happy to report the ad no longer runs in either of these magazines.