Ad watchdog bans ‘highly sexual’ and pornographic Honey Birdette ad
Lingerie retailer Honey Birdette has been accused of exposing “minors to their inappropriate marketing” by using “highly sexual images”.
The digital in store billboards featured seven women in all different lingerie including two women wearing lacy black lingerie with their nipples exposed.
Out of the seven ads on the billboard this was the only ad banned.
The banned “Issy” Honey Birdette ad
The complaint also noted the ads were displayed in a public shopping centre which is visible to children despite the store only allowing those 18 or older inside.
Responding to the complaint on the Ad Standards Bureau, Honey Birdette said all stores aim to make women feel “safe and sophisticated” and they are “not overly sexualised”.
The advertiser noted the product being sold is lingerie and therefore a certain amount of skin needs to be exposed, however, “a lot of time and effort” is put into “ensuring that it is not offensive” and representative of the brand.
After dismissing six of the other still images which were complained about, the board said the image labeled ‘Issy’ “did not treat the issue of sex, sexuality and nudity with sensitivity to the relevant audience”.
“The depiction of nipples in an image in a store window is not appropriate.”
Last year the retailer had another ad banned with showed Santa Claus bound and gagged.
Abigail Dawson was Mumbrella's senior content journalist covering event content. She left Mumbrella to move into an agency role in 2020.
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Wait, isn’t banning these images because of showing a nipple only stigmatising and sexualising this part of the human body further?
Seems like a bit of a contradicting argument?
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I am in deep shock not by the models or underclothing, I’m in shock that Australians are so primitive and crass with their behavior, however, when something so naturally beautiful is seen people’s insecurity is brought out they complain and laws try to protect potential social problems.
Aussies should behave, these are perfect westernized social advertisement projections. I would expect our middle eastern religious extreamists to persue critical claims of obscenity not a four year old boy who would require education on how to be gentle to a lady when he grows up and not become another barbaric bastard.
If people can’t handle this how will they accept a shirt strait off an Aussies back?
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Well, I hope they find the adverts of handsome, chiselled men in their daks equally as offensive, because it gives young teenage men body issues and unconsciously ‘fat shames’ them if they don’t look like that, because the message is that no girls will fancy them.
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