The ad watchdog has dismissed complaints that a number of Pacific Brands outdoor ads were “sexist”, “degrading” and “objectifying” towards women.
The 'Berlei Your Body' ads from Pacific Brands' lingerie company Berlei have been seen on billboards and buses, featuring tag lines including 'Get your boobs done in your lunch hour', 'It WILL happen overnight' and 'Smooth operator'.
Some variants of the ad for Berlei's Flirtatious Fit Push-up Bra feature a head-and-torso photo of a model posing in a manner complainants said was “provocative” and “pornographic”. Other variants of the creative feature only the shoulders and torso of the model, spawning complaints of objectification of women.
The Advertising Standards Bureau (ASB) received a barrage of complaints from the public about the ads, although the ASB ruled the ads did not violate the Advertising Code of Practice.
Pacific Brands argued the ads contain “no sexual overtone” and the pose of the model with an emphasis of her breasts is “in no way sexually provocative, it is a confident pose ... as [women] feel good in the product.” The brand argued “[we] need to show the product on the body to demonstrate the benefit it delivers”.
However, one complainant wrote: “[This is] offensive language. Why is it appropriate for this language to be used? Imagine an ad that would say 'Enhance Your Package' for Calvin Klein men's undergarments.”
Another complainant wrote: “The effect of leaving the head and face out is to depersonalise the woman somehow which I think makes the advertisements border on the objectification of women.”
A third complainant wrote: “This sends the message to everyone that there is nothing more to women than their bodies and women must look sexy. It is also a dangerous message to be sending boys and young men as they learn how to treat women.”
The ads remain on billboards and buses unaltered.
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