The Boohoo clothing brand has recently been banned because of an advert that has a model in bikini bottom and posed in it whilst showing her body parts. Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), has made this announcement and banned them from doing so in the future as it “objectified women.”
In question, the ad which been promoted is one of Boohoo’s t-shirts that includes several images of the photoshoot of the model. The model is a woman who wears the top while in bikini bottoms and her buttocks are visible which made the concern.
Another image shows the model in a sitting posture with her legs widespread. The next image showed her lifting her t-shirt.
ASA claimed, ‘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’.
The decision came out as ASA investigated it after receiving a complaint about the product listing, from someone who believed the images “objectified and sexualized women”. According to ASA, the images were “irresponsible and likely to cause serious offense” though those were used on Boohoo’s website before.
In response, Boohoo replied, those images were part of their swimwear category so the photos must be in that way. The model was wearing a t-shirt with a bikini which is proper under the category.
Boohoo also told ASA, ‘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 disagreed and 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 emphasized 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.
Eventually by the time Boohoo has removed the images from its website. They are now banned by the ASA from using those again or creating such more photos. Boohoo has also been advised not to use objectifying images of women in the future.
