Catholics criticize risque health club ad

By Elizabeth Ratto, Globe Correspondent

An advertisement appearing in Boston magazine this month that depicts a group of nuns sketching a naked male model is spurring outrage among some area Catholics.

Terry Donilon, spokesman for the Archdiocese of Boston, called the Equinox Fitness Club ad "disrespectful and degrading" to women who have committed themselves to serving the church and their communities.

"It's offensive," Donilon said. "I hope they make the decision not to run it again and perhaps offer an apology to the religious community."

A spokesperson for Boston magazine didn't return a message seeking comment tonight.

The ad, which is part of the club's "Happily Ever" series, features four young nuns. The muscular model is facing them, his back to the camera.

Equinox spokeswoman Joanna R. Roffo said in a statement that "the ads capture the energy and artistry of the well-conditioned body in a thought-provoking fashion, blending fantasy and impact."

A spokesperson for Fallon Worldwide, the Minneapolis-based ad agency that developed the campaign, didn't immediately return messages seeking comment.

But Fallon's website calls the campaign a series of provocative images designed to make people ask themselves what the fairytale ending to their fitness goals may be, and to give them visual motivation to achieve those goals.

The Boston Equinox Fitness Club is located on Dartmouth Street in Back Bay, with other locations in and around metropolitan areas in New York, Florida, and California, as well as Chicago and Washington D.C.

C.J. Doyle, executive director of the Catholic Action League of Massachusetts, said he also was hoping for the ad's discontinuation and an apology.

• Comment
• Permalink
• Email