德總理默克爾當起“內衣模特”

BerLiners on the city's main shopping drag, the "Ku'damm", were greeted Thursday with an unusual sight: a giant mocked-up image of Chancellor Angela Merkel in a matching purple bra and knicker set.

The 100-metre-square (1,000-square-foot) image of the half-naked world leader is part of a nationwide advertising campaign for an underwear company aiming to cash in on the success of a "cash-for-clunkers" scheme for old cars.

Punters trading in their old underwear will get a five-euro (seven-dollar) discount on a new pair, the advert promises, under the slogan: "The country needs new undies."

The electronic advert -- on a busy road junction in the heart of former West Berlin -- was certainly causing a stir on the streets, with scores of people taking snapshots of the billboard with cameras or mobile phones.

"I think it's great. Brilliant. It's a positive signal for the economic situation in Germany," said a 54-year-old who gave his name of Meier adding he would "definitely" trade in his old pants at the first opportunity.

A 37-year-old called Bebe said: "I think it's fantastic that you can look at something funny when you're waiting for the bus."

Merkel herself was tight-lipped on the subject. "The chancellor's office does not want to comment on the campaign," a spokesman said.

This is not the first time the 54-year-old chancellor has made waves, intentionally or not, with her dress.

Last year, she made front-pages around the world after wearing a revealing low-cut dress to the opening of the Oslo Opera House prompting headlines such as "Merkel's Weapons of Mass Destruction" from British tabloid the Daily Mail and "Deutschland boober alles" from media gossip website Gawker.

In 2006, another British tabloid, the Sun, snapped her changing into a bathing suit while on holiday in Italy under the headline "Big in the Bum-destag", a reference to the Bundestag, Germany's lower house of parliament.

Lined up behind Merkel in the advert are other members of Germany's political elite, also in their underwear, including Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who aims to unseat Merkel in upcoming elections.

"I don't really understand it. I don't know who they all are. Apart from Merkel, of course," said a 24-year-old who gave her name as Sonja.

上週四在德國首都柏林的主要商業大街“庫達姆”街購物的人們一定被眼前的一幕驚呆：該街道的廣告屏上是一幅巨大的電腦合成照片，而廣告主角是身着紫色胸罩和內褲的德國總理安吉拉•默克爾。

這位國家領導人的半裸內衣廣告有100平米（1000平方英尺）大小，是一家內衣公司全國廣告活動之一，該公司旨在藉助“舊車換現金”的成功經驗，（採取以舊換新促銷術）賺取利潤。

該廣告許諾稱，顧客只需提供一條舊內褲，就可以優惠5歐元（7美元）購買一條新內褲。廣告屏上還打出一條標語稱：“這個國家需要新的內衣！”

由於這個電子廣告屏位於前西柏林市中心的一個繁忙的三叉路口處，所以引起了一陣混亂，路過此地的人們紛紛拿出照相機或手機拍照。

一位54歲自稱名爲Meier的男子說：“我覺得這很棒，是個聰明的做法。這對德國經濟狀況來說是一個積極的信號。”他還說，他“一定”會在第一時間拿舊內褲去換新。

37歲的Bebe說：“我覺得在等公共汽車的時候能看到這麼有意思的東西簡直是太好了。”

默克爾本人則對此事保持沉默。據一位發言人稱：“總理辦公室不願對此活動發表評論。”

54歲的默克爾已不是第一次因衣服引發風波——不管是有意還是無意的。

去年，她因在出席奧斯陸歌劇院的開幕典禮時穿了一件低胸露乳溝的禮服而登上世界各地媒體的頭版。英國《每日郵報》有關這條新聞的標題是《默克爾的大規模殺傷性武器》，美國八卦媒體網站Gawker起的標題爲《德意志“胸”大於一切》。

2006年，英國另一家報紙《太陽報》拍到默克爾在意大利度假時更換泳裝的照片，該報在登出照片時所用的標題是《Big in the Bum-destag》（《我的臀部很大》），暗指德國議會下院（Bundestag）。

在這則廣告上，默克爾的身後還有德國其他幾位政壇精英，他們排成一列，同樣只穿着內衣，其中包括外交部長富蘭克-沃爾特•施泰因邁爾，他是即將舉行的德國大選的總理候選人。

一個24歲的名爲Sonja的女孩說：“我不是太明白。我不知道他們都是誰。當然默克爾除外。”

Vocabulary:

main drag:要道

cash in on:靠...賺錢；乘機利用