Don't go overboard, says Shell model

PETALING JAYA: A woman has expressed regret at the antics of a group of men who were pictured kissing and doing other things to life-sized cardboard cutouts of herself placed at Shell petrol stations nationwide.

The images, which have gone viral on social media, have angered many people who have accused the men of being obscene and sexist.

Nor Shafila Khairusalleh, 25, said she had not expected the "standees" of herself, which were meant to brighten up the stations, to attract such behaviour.

"If they did things like putting their hands over the eyes, pulling at the nose or hugging the cutout, I can still accept that because it's just a poster.

"But I think it is going overboard if it points towards sexual behaviour.

"They might just be messing around, but I feel humiliated although it's just a cutout of me," Nor Shafila told mStar, The Star's Malay portal, on Sunday.

 

She said that she had not taken the "mischievous" actions of the men seriously at first.

Nor Shafila, a manager at a Shell station in Perak, said her husband was not comfortable looking at the pictures but that he understood the real situation.

"They're just pictures, so I can't be very angry. I just hope that no one takes such pictures again. You can joke, but don't turn it into something negative," she added.

She said people have urged her to lodge police reports or take legal action against the "perpetrators," adding that she would consider it if the situation continues.

Nor Shafila became well-known after a cutout of herself holding a mineral water bottle went viral on social media.

She later "appeared" in cutouts that promoted Shell fuel.