Ad description
A post on Boux Avenue’s Facebook page, seen on 31 May 2022, featured an image of the back of a woman wearing a top and a thong. The image was cropped to only show from her shoulders to just beneath her buttocks. Text above the image stated “Need the perfect PJ set for these warmer summer evenings?”
Issue
The complainant, who believed the image objectified and sexualised women, challenged whether the ad was offensive, harmful and irresponsible.Response
Boux Avenue Ltd said that the post was shot and posted by one of their influencers, showcasing their summer PJs alongside their Alena thong, which were both tagged in the post. They said that the influencer had chosen to shoot images in her own style, which they considered highlighted some of the unique detail of their thong. The influencer first uploaded the post onto her channel and Boux Avenue had reposted it to their Facebook channel. They said there was no paid advertising of the post, and it was only available to people who followed them on Facebook or chose to look at their Facebook profile. They said their audience split was 97.1% women and 2.9% men.
They said the image was not posted in isolation, but formed part of a carousel post of five images which allowed followers the opportunity to view the products from all angles. They provided the four additional images which had formed part of the post. They said they believed the images were in line with those that appeared across their Facebook feed and with their intention to showcase the product rather than the model.
They said as a lingerie brand they attempted to balance the intimate nature of their products with being able to showcase them to their customer base without causing offence. They said their campaigns were aimed at being inclusive of body types, featuring a diverse variety of models that were representative and celebratory of their consumer base, with the aim of empowering their customers to have a positive relationship with their bodies and the confidence to be themselves.They said the image had been removed from Facebook as part of their continual refreshing of advertising and in conjunction with the receipt of the ASA’s correspondence.
Facebook said they had investigated the matter and the content was no longer available in the UK.
Assessment
Upheld
The ASA acknowledged Boux Avenue’s willingness to make changes to their advertising. However, we understood that the post was still appearing on the advertiser's Facebook page.
We noted the model was shown from the rear with one leg lifted and that the image had been cropped to remove her head and lower legs. We also noted that the pyjama top was pulled tight around her waist to reveal the buttocks and that this was not showing the pyjamas as they would typically be worn. We considered these aspects of the image emphasised the model’s buttocks, making them more prominent, which resulted in them becoming the dominant focus of the image. We considered this objectified the model in a sexual way.
We acknowledged that Boux Avenue sold lingerie and therefore it could be relevant to focus on that area of the body. However, we considered the ad appeared to be primarily for pyjamas, since the text on the post above the image did not mention lingerie. Therefore, the focus on the model’s buttocks was unrelated to the product.
For these reasons, we concluded the ad was irresponsible and likely to cause serious and widespread offence.
The ad breached CAP Code (Edition 12) rule 1.3 1.3 Advertisements must comply with the law and broadcasters must make that a condition of acceptance. (Responsible advertising) and 4.1 4.1 Advertisements must contain nothing that could cause physical, mental, moral or social harm to persons under the age of 18. (Harm and offence).
Action
The ad must not appear again in its current form. We told Boux Avenue Ltd to ensure that future ads were prepared with a sense of responsibility to consumers and to society and that they did not cause serious or widespread offence by objectifying women.
