Witchery asks for review after ad watchdog rules picture ‘sexualised’ children
Clothing brand Witchery has asked for a review of a decision by the Advertising Standards Board (ASB) over an image from a campaign which was deemed to amount “to a depiction of a child which is sexualised”.
The image complained about was a still shot taken for the ‘WitcheryKids’ campaign ‘It’s Our World’, which features a girl wearing the brand’s product and dancing and listening to music.
A complaint to the ASB read: “The still video frame image shows a young girl with legs apart wearing a short skirt that has been shot on a low angle that focuses on the models crotch. I find this image extremely offensive as a mother to a daughter.”
Parent company The Country Road Group (CRG) defended the image, telling the ad watchdog it was “disappointed” the complaint had been received, and said they did “not consider the imagery to be sexual in nature nor does it imply that children are sexual beings”.
The group said: “The image was selected as the still shot for the Campaign Video because the hero product in the model’s outfit, the t-shirt, is on clear display enabling the customer to see the beautiful patters and triangle detailing in the garment. TalentPay Pty Ltd, an independently owned, compliance and talent rights management company, employ the model used in the Image. To safeguard the welfare of the model and other children on set, a trained nurse from TalentPay Pty Ltd was on set for the duration of the shoot monitoring the wellbeing of the child.
“The complaint accuses CRG of sexualising children on the grounds that the Image “has been shot on a low angle that focuses on the model’s crotch”. CRG do not consider the imagery to be sexual in nature nor does it imply that children are sexual beings. The model featured in the Image was encouraged to dance and have fun and was not forced to hold poses that were not natural to her. CRG considers that the Image has been misconstrued in a manner that was not intended. ”
CRG also explained that when the complaint was received through the company’s Customer Service Department on April 5, the image was replaced as the still for the campaign video while an internal review of the matter was completed, but that review decided it was not a sexual image adding “CRG does not support the sexualisation of children, and rejects the insertion that it would intentionally convey children in this light”.
However, while the board noted the image had been removed from the company’s website and CRG’s response that the image was not intended to be inappropriate, it also noted that “the camera angle means that the image of the girl highlights the shortness of the skirt she is wearing”.
This resulted in the majority of the board ruling “that overall the image amounted to a depiction of a child which is sexualised and is therefore not appropriate”, consequently upholding the complaint.
CRG is seeking a review of the determination “as it does not consider the WitcheryKids image to be sexual in nature, nor in breach of Section 2 of the Advertiser Code of Ethics”.
Miranda Ward
Linkedin
I’d agree. It’s a bit creepy when you look at how young the child looks in the face.
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If the hero of the shot is the t-thirt and it’s print, crop out her crotch area. In general I’m sure it wasn’t your intention to capture a sexual used image. But there is something about this print that makes me uncomfortable as a mother of a daughter too. It’s the angle, it’s the legs apart, its the length of the skirt in combination with the other 2 factors. it’s not necessary or an appropriate image for young girls to see of their age group to represent how they should look.
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Spelt “Witchery” wrong on the home page.
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Your dirty mind?
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This is not tasteful creative.
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The image is not tasteful at all. It wouldn’t even be tasteful if it was an adult with her legs spread open. As a mother I am appalled that any advertising agency would think this is ok!
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Parent company The Country Road Group (CRG) need to pull their socks up if they reckon it’s not sexual.
Short skirts attract male eyes, end of story. Don’t put kids in that position, or adults who don’t want to feel creeped out.
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Agree with A Dad.
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I’m not quite sure what the issue is.
No cleavage, no makeup, monotone shot, on her own, apparently dancing to whatever.
You’re drawing a pretty long bow to claim that’s more “sexualised” than say kids swimwear or whatever weirdoes get off on.
And if you think any of it is sexual, the “hero of the shot” and your “eye is drawn to the crotch” you should slam your dick in a door.
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Do you think a parent group got wind of this article?
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I think we have to be very careful to exercise corporate social responsibility if we own a clothing company and use underage models. There is so much in the media now about the hyper sexualised culture and it is damaging our young people. There is no need for this shot to show her with her legs apart and such a shot skirt emphasising the crotch. A poor marketing decision by the company.
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