Honey Birdette breaches Ad Standards… again
A month after its last violation, Australian lingerie company Honey Birdette has again breached the Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) Code of Ethics, and has again been non-compliant, according to Ad Standards.
The latest complaint was made against two store window displays that featured women in lingerie and nipple pasties, with the complainant describing the ads as “straight up porn”.
“Please accept my objections to these on display in my community on grounds that they are pornographic; represent women in demeaning and degrading ways, presenting them as sex objects for men; they create a hostile environment where women do not feel safe or welcome; they contribute to a culture in which violence against women is accepted; their display serves to sexualise and groom children who are forced to view them. They violate community standards and every basic principle of child safeguarding,” the complainant wrote.
The Ad Standards Community Panel found the window advertising breached the Code’s Section 2.4 – sex, sexuality and nudity.
It found the ads “present women as sex objects” and were “overtly sexual and inappropriate for display in a public space”.
The window displays breached the AANA Code of Ethics
Once again, Honey Birdette did not respond to any of the final determinations made by Ad Standards.
“Finding that the advertisement did breach Section 2.4 of the Code, the Panel upheld the complaint,” the case report said. “The advertiser has not provided a response to the Panel’s decision. Ad Standards will continue to work with the relevant authorities regarding this issue of non-compliance.”
The displays have not been modified or discontinued.
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Lauren McNamara is a journalist at Mumbrella, covering the creative and PR beat. She joined in November 2022 as editorial assistant, after completing a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) at UTS.
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