An advert for the clothing brand Boohoo has been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), following a complain that it “objectified women.”
The ad in question promoted one of Boohoo’s t-shirts and included several images of a model wearing the top while in bikini bottoms.
“In one of the images, the model was shown from the rear in a kneeling position and we noted that the t-shirt was folded under so that the bikini bottoms and the model’s buttocks and naked legs were visible and prominent,” ASA said.
In another of the images, the model was sitting with her legs spread apart, while a third image showed her lifting her t-shirt up.
The ASA investigated after receiving a complaint about the product listing, from someone who believed the images “objectified and sexualised women”.
ASA agreed that the images were “irresponsible and likely to cause serious offence”.
Boohoo, however, said the images were part of their swimwear category and explained that the model was wearing the t-shirt with a bikini.
The brand told ASA Boohoo: “Often [combines] a variety of products in their images to show how items could be worn in different ways” and that “the way they presented their garments reflected the diversity of women in society and their customer base.”
But ASA highlighted that “neither the partial nudity nor the bikini bottoms were relevant to the product and that the images did not show the product as it would usually be worn”.
“We considered that the image emphasised the model’s buttocks and legs rather than the product and that she was posed in a sexually suggestive way from behind, with her hand appearing to be tucked into the bikini bottoms at the front,” ASA added.
Boohoo has now removed the images from its website and been banned by the ASA from using them again. The ASA also advised the retailer to not use objectifying images of women in the future.