Those who believe that women should not take up modelling jobs are ignorant of the real problem: Men who treat women as sexual objects.

This, according to Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia Youth chief Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman, was at the heart of the controversy surrounding the outcry over lewd acts involving the life-size cutout of a woman previously used as promotional material at Shell petrol stations.

The incident had attracted comments from pressure group Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) president Abdullah Zaik Abdul Rahman, who said that "women with dignity" should not accept modelling jobs, properly attired or otherwise...