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KUALA LUMPUR<\/span> \u2013 If you are a Malaysian driving back to your home town this Hari Raya, it would be hard to miss the plethora of catchy billboards dotting the miles of <\/p>\n highways across Peninsular Malaysia<\/p>\n <\/a>.<\/p>\n In between the light-hearted advertisements, however, some of these billboards have got on the nerves of many for using what may be deemed as misogynistic and sexist language \u2013 from skincare products playing on skin-colour sensitivities to healthcare supplements laced with sexual innuendoes.<\/p>\n For Malaysian paediatrician Ayne Zarof, one such billboard angered her so much years ago that she pushed for it to be taken down \u2013 and she actually succeeded after lodging a complaint with watchdog Advertising Standards Malaysia (ASA).<\/p>\n \u201cSo, I went through ASA, and it was a quick and straightforward process,\u201d Dr Ayne, who now works in the United Kingdom, relayed to The Straits Times.<\/p>\n The billboard in question promoted a skin brightening serum with the tagline calling it \u201cthe cause for polygamy\u201d, depicting a man in Malay traditional wedding attire shielding his eyes with sunglasses from the serum\u2019s glare.<\/p>\n \u201cIt does not only make a joke about polygamy but also reduces women to objects,\u201d she said in an Instagram post back then. \u201cIt insinuates that women attract other people\u2019s husbands.\u201d<\/p>\n In Malaysia, Muslim men may marry up to four wives under syariah law with the approval of the Syariah Court, although the practice remains controversial in society.<\/p>\n Admitting that she had little hope anything would be done, Dr Ayne told ST she was surprised when the offending ad was taken down two weeks later. ASA had ruled that the ad breached the Malaysian Code of Advertising Practice for being offensive and derogatory.<\/p>\n \u201cI was hoping that with my video on social media, others could help clean up our streets,\u201d she added about her post, which had gone viral in January 2026.<\/p>\n In the video, Dr Ayne said the billboard incident, which she said made her feel \u201cnauseous and angry\u201d, happened several years ago, but she decided to share her experience recently, in light of the <\/p>\n murder of <\/p>\n