Rivers rapped by ASB for sexualising violence
Complaints made against the cover of a catalogue for Rivers in which a dead woman wearing fishnet stockings and high heels is trapped under a sofa have been upheld by the Advertising Standards Bureau.
The issues raised regarding the image, which was used to promote Rivers’ ’10 Deadly Deals’, included sexualising violence and sexual discrimination.
One complaint read: “Rivers have chosen to put a pair of great looking legs in sexy black fishnet stockings and heels on their cover to get our attention then we read the title – and realise this sexy set of legs is dead. Showing a dead woman in any kind of advertisement is offensive full stop.”
Another read: “It is about time advertisers stop this sickening depiction of women and especially in advertising clothes this way.”
The family clothing chain’s response read: “Rivershad no intent to offend anyone with the cover of our catalogue. However, we have no control over the way people perceive images. We do not believe the image is either promoting or in any way condoning violence against women.”
Feminist group Collective Shout have called for a boycott of the chain as a result of the image.
Rivers are bottom of the barrel in all their advertising- not suprised.
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I dont really understand the complaints about this. Of course violence against women… or anyone for that matter is wrong. But how about the phrase “drop dead gorgeous” people say that every day and nobody gets mad. I think that is what this ad is ment to represent. Just a bunch of nutty femanist groups with nothing better to do complaining.
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not smart. not clever. but not illegal. some people DO like looking at women’s legs. fact. even feminists.
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YY – it’s a corpse of a woman. The term ‘drop dead georgeous’ refers to a woman so hot men die when they see her, not women killed bedause they’re hot.
Cheesfinders – I love great legs too, but a female corpse isn’t sexy.
Personally I couldn’t care less, but this will attract complaints and it would naturally offend a lot of reserved people, Rivers is kind of in no mans land with this one, doesn’t really make any sense…there are much better ways to do the Deadly Sins thing
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