The campaign, launched on Monday, is titled ‘Osez le clito’ (‘try the clitoris’) and aims to reclaim the right to sexual freedom and expression.

The official website for the campaign, osezleclito.fr, claims that in sexual matters, equality between the sexes is still an area where men have the power. “Whether in text books, exhibitions, literature or in relations between individuals, the clitoris is often forgotten and seen as unimportant or just part of foreplay. Every woman has the right to understand how to enjoy her own body.”

Caroline de Haas, spokeswoman for the organisation, said their tactics have been inspired by the methods used in President Obama’s election campaign. The campaign has used Twitter, Facebook and a series of outdoor events in Paris and 15 other towns around France. Posters and signs on pavements encourage people to ‘osez le clito’.

The campaign has sparked an outpouring of comment on news sites and social media networks, both positive and negative. A blogger on madmoizelle.com says the campaign is “sad example of a good idea that’s being communicated in a campaign that is ‘too much’. What a shame. Rather than educating people, this campaign has become a laughing stock on Twitter and other networks.”

Writing in Le Nouvel Observateur, the journalist Daphnée Leportois disagrees. She dares to wonder whether the supposed sexual prowess of French men is being questioned. “Could it be the case that the French are bad in bed?” she asks. “The big news is that French women also have the right to enjoy themselves in bed!”