Pretty Little Thing has had to take down an advert after it was banned by the Advertising Standard Authority (ASA) because a viewer complained the models looked too young.
The Manchester-based company was told by the ASA to make sure “future adverts did not sexualise those who appear to be children.”
The advert first aired during Dinner Date on ITVBe on 12 April 2017, and was promptly called into question when a viewer flagged it up to the ASA.
In their ruling of the ban, the ASA commented on the “tight-fitting and revealing” clothes and were shook by the fact that “one of the models’ buttocks was partially exposed” and their expressions were “sultry and seductive.”
However, many tweeters felt the advert was misjudged.
In their statement, the ASA continued: “Further, we also considered that the outfits shown, the colourful props and set, and the name of the brand, contributed to the overall impression that that model was a child.”
Responding to the complaint before the ruling Pretty Little Thing told the ASA that the models featured in the ad were 23 and 24 years old respectively.
“The styles of clothing worn by the models in the ad were on-trend pieces designed for the festival season, because many of their customers were festival ‘goers’,” they explained.
HuffPost UK has contacted Pretty Little Thing for further comment and will update this article upon their response.