An advert for the fashion retailer Pretty Little Thing has been banned on YouTube, over complaints that it allegedly objectifies women with its overtly sexualized content.
The commercial for the clothing store begins with with a woman looking over her shoulder, dressed black vinyl, high-waisted chaps-style shorts.
It then shows another model, wearing a transparent mesh bodysuit, while lying on her side with her knee bent up and a neon bar in between her legs, and another dancing while wearing thigh-high white boots and leather hot pants.
Take a look at the banned ad in the video below:After complaints were made about the commercial, the Advertising Standards Agency investigated the advert, which aired back in October of 2019, and challenged whether the ad was offensive and irresponsible. As a result of the ASA's findings, the ad can now no longer be displayed on YouTube.
Per Yahoo! News, the brand defended the ad in a statement that claimed that it wasn't intended to be offensive or irresponsible and that it worked hard to promote a positive and healthy body image that was inclusive and empowered women.
PLT claimed that it: "supported and promoted diversity through bold and distinctive fashion of all shapes and sizes which focused on different trends."
In contrast, this Pretty Little Things advert was deemed to be acceptable:The brand's website boasts that Pretty Little Thing: "We don’t just anticipate trends; we create them. as we deliver our girl product inspired from the catwalk, celebs, and coolest influencers of the moment."
According to the Evening Standard, this isn't the first time that the brand has come under fire for its marketing. Back in 2017, another PLT ad was banned for allegedly portraying a model who seemed to be under the age of consent in the United Kingdom 16 in a "sexually suggestive" way.
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