Australian retailer Bras N Things has managed to successfully argue against two complaints submitted to Ad Standards over two separate advertisements that were considered “inappropriate” and “offensive”.
One featured a woman on a store front digital display wearing black lingerie with her back to the camera, and a pair of jeans lowered to show the top of her buttocks.
The other featured two models wearing Bras N Things products, with one of them revealing the model’s nipples and breasts through mesh fabric.
According to Ad Standards, a complainant called the store front posters “offensive” to see when shopping with children.
A spokesperson for Bras N Things responded to that complaint, first apologising if the image caused offence, but noting the brand does sell lingerie that needs to be showcased on shopfronts to promote.
The spokesperson said the image has been pulled together in a way to not expose the full behind for modesty and also simply show the shape and design.
“We will take this feedback on board and again I apologise,” the spokesperson said. “This image is not shown the whole time, it is part of a rotation.”
In its review, the community panel did note that the model was a state of undress, which showed partial nudity.
But the panel added the model was not posing in an inappropriate manner, and that the image did not feature overtly sexual nudity or gratuitous exposure of inappropriate parts of the female anatomy.
“The Panel further considered that the image was not unreasonable, given that this is what the advertiser sells. The Panel considered that the overall focus of the ad was on the appearance and fit of the lingerie, and not on sexuality or nudity.
“As such, the Panel considered that the ad treated the issues of sexuality and nudity with sufficient sensitivity to the relevant audience.”
The panel then dismissed the complaint.
As for the online advertisement which showed a model’s nipples and breasts through a mesh bra, a Bras N Things spokesperson said the advert was solely targeted to women aged 18 and above and who are engaged in fashion and the lingerie category itself.
“The ad in question is done through our digital marketing team,” the spokesperson said. “Given we sell lingerie, these ads have very specific requirements that are attached to them.
“We do not advertise to children, and these are via digital platforms only so you cannot stumble across them. I will absolutely take the feedback onboard and monitor if we receive any additional feedback that is also about the same thing so that we can look at how we do things differently.”
The same community panel did take note of the nudity shown through the mesh bra, but pointed out the model was simply standing there and not doing anything sexual in nature.
The panel also noted that the advertisement targeted adult women only, and particularly those who have engaged with content in the fashion industry.
“The panel also considered that the ad was served to the complainant while browsing a news website, which is not a website children are likely to visit,” the review note read. “From the advertiser’s response, the Panel understood that a child who visited this website would, in any event, not see this ad, as they would not meet the advertiser’s target criteria.
“The panel noted the visibility of breasts and nipples on the model wearing sheer lingerie, however considered the image to be relevant to the product being advertised, and appropriate for an audience that consists of women over 18 who have engaged with similar content in the past.
“Given the above factors, the Panel considered that the ad treated the issues of sexuality and nudity with appropriate sensitivity to the relevant audience.”
Finding this, the panel dismissed the second complaint, too.