“We Welcome You!” – New Bus Ad Causes Controversy

There’s a new bus ad on the streets of Reykjavík these days, and it’s quite the eyecatcher, too. Unlike the usual ad for a phone company or a bank, it depicts two cartoon women giving birth with the inscription: “Við tökum vel á móti þér!”, “We welcome you!” next to it. (Gotta love a good play on words.)

Behind this rather unusual bus poster is The Midwife Association of Iceland who purchased the ad from Strætó bs. Since the World Health Assembly designated 2020 the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife, the association decided to use the opportunity to reiterate the importance of their work.The drawings are designed to honor and thank midwives.

The ad is placed on one of the newer electric Strætó busses, went on its maiden voyage last week and has already been met with some skepticism.

According to new site Vísir, city council member Vigdís Hauksdóttir questioned whether Strætó had lost its mind.

On Facebook she asked “What are we supposed to do with ads like this?” She was also unsure of the ad’s origin but argued that its depiction was inappropriate since nudity was a sensitive subject for many in the community (don’t tell the swimming pools) and that children were going to see it. God forbid they might ask where babies come from. That’s confidential.

As ever, those looking for more information or advice should go to the Icelandic Government’s excellent COVID-19 help page.

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