‘Can you fit me?’ lingerie ad banned by ad watchdog
An ad for Adelaide-based Innerware lingerie has been banned by the advertising watchdog due to the ad’s “relatively high level of sexual suggestion and nudity”. The ad features a woman dressed in underwear walking into a car workshop and asking “Can you fit me?”
(Ad courtesy of Ebiquity)
According to one complaint to the ASB: “The ad was discriminatory towards women and in very poor taste. It was highly inappropriate and had nothing to do with lingerie. I think it’s disgusting you allowed a commercial in this taste to air on TV.”
While another complaint read: “It disgusted me and it is degrading to women. I thought it was an ad for the sex industry when I first saw it.”
Innerware Lingerie defended the ad, telling the ASB: “The concept is intended to be quirky and tongue in cheek. In no way was there any intention to discriminate against, objectify, exploit or degrade women. Innerware is a retailer of ladies underwear and the actress was wearing their product. The woman is portrayed as being very confident and in control. In absolutely no way is she undermined by the males in the ad. Her attire, although revealing, is classy and covers all genitalia. There is no nudity in this ad.”
The ASB said: “The Board noted that the advertisement is for lingerie and considered that it is appropriate to depict women wearing lingerie that is available. However in this advertisement the Board considered that the placement of the woman in a mechanical workshop, her strutting though the workshop and being openly stared at by men, the particular focus on her body and the sexualised double entendre created a strongly sexualised tone of the advertisement. The Board considered that the overall impression of the advertisement is a relatively high level of sexual suggestion and nudity.”
“The Board considered that the woman struts into the workshop in a very confident and empowered way and that she is very aware of the attention that she is drawing to herself. The Board considered that for the woman to ask a man, who is clearly a tyre fitter and not a bra fitter, if he can “fit” her is a purposeful question, designed to shock the male and to give the impression that she is not intimidated by a workshop full of men.
“The Board considered that the confidence of the woman gave her a position of power and that this was not a depiction that discriminated against a person based on their gender.
The ad watchdog noted: “That the advertisement is attempting to portray a humorous reversal of the stereotypical advertisement which uses scantily clad attractive women to sell unrelated products.
It ruled: “However the Board considered that the advertisement did have a strong sexual suggestion with the combination of the woman wearing lingerie, her sexualised strutting, the focus on her body and the sexualised conversation. In the Board‟s view the level of sexualisation was not sensitive even to an M classification.”
The ad has been removed from television.
Miranda Ward
Miranda Ward worked for Mumbrella from 2013 to 2017, eventually becoming deputy editor. Miranda joined Mumbrella in September 2013 from Sky News.
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Are they banning provocation or tackiness?
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In before comments like:
“lowest form of advertising”
“sex sells”
blah blah blah….
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Huh. On first watch I thought it was a really sexist ad about fitting tyres. No, it’s just a really bad ad about fitting lingerie. Well, okay.
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I find it fascinating that they are banning this ad for the reasons stated an you can walk into any gym and see women girating almost naked in music video’s that are seen by kids as young as 13.
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Low production values and a contrived script sure but censored? Seriously another nail in the nanny state’s coffin.
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Maybe she wanted 4 tyres?
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What a prudish land we’re becoming, down-under.
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4 tyres and a discount?
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Seems to be straight out of the 80’s, yeah bad ad back then, but some of the best too, ever wonder why adverts are so BLAND now?
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Nanny state.
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