“Pornographic” ads for men’s suit in UK shopping centre spark fury
November 19th, 2010 - 6:56 pm ICT by ANILondon, Nov 19 (ANI): A firm dealing in men’s suit has landed in hot water after it put up 8ft tall, sexually explicit posters in a shopping centre as part of its ‘Shameless’ campaign.
Suit Supply has now been swarmed by complaints from members of the public after the Dutch company’s flagship fashion store at the Westfield Centre in central London showed a man in a suit next to a woman touching her own naked breast and revealing a glimpse of nipple.
They also depict a man driving as he gropes a female passenger, and a seated woman reclining obligingly as a male companion lifts her dress to examine her underwear.
The Westfield centre and the Advertising Standards Authority have been bombarded with complaints that the images are sexist in objectifying women and are displayed where children can easily see them.
Even the liberated Dutch advertising watchdog has taken exception to the campaign following its launch in the Netherlands.
“In a family-friendly shopping centre, I am sure many parents would be upset to have their children exposed to such material while taking them to the newly opened indoor ice-skating rink,” the Daily Mail quoted Joey Abbis-Stubbs, 23, from Westbourne Grove, London, as writing.
“As well as offending parents and children, did Westfield not think that this sexually submissive and explicit advertising campaign would cause offence to its many female visitors?” she stated.
The charity worker said she had approached Westfield, and was told it was “a sign of the times”.
“They said they would look into it. But the adverts are going to be up until the end of the January sales, so lots and lots of children will have the opportunity to see them,” she added.
Suit Supply has defended itself by saying that the photographs of the campaign are a well-balanced mix of style, humour and sex, the essence of fashion.
“We fully disagree that our campaign would be obscene and denigrating towards women. On the contrary, the women depicted in the photographs are obviously in the lead,” they added. (ANI)
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