Fashion retailers rapped over ‘sexy’ and ‘irresponsible’ ads

Two Manchester-based fashion giants have been rapped by advertising watchdogs for questionable advertising campaigns.

Missguided was criticised for an advert which the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said objectified women and caused offence.

Online retailer Boohoo’s advert was deemed socially irresponsible.

A complainant contacted the ASA regarding a Video on Demand ad for women’s clothes retailer Missguided, seen on ITV Hub during the Love Island series on June 14, which opened with a close-up of a woman’s mouth as she held a strawberry between her lips.

The ad then showed young women in swimwear on a boat, and on-screen text stated “If you plan on wearing clothes this summer … we’ve got you covered … kind of”.

The ad showed young women on a beach with their legs apart in seductive poses, a woman running her hand up her inner thigh, a group of women in thong bikinis and another woman posing in a bikini with her legs astride on a motorcycle.

In response, Missguided said the ad’s aim was to promote several items within its Summer collection which included swimwear, clothing and accessories. It was aimed at those under 30 years of age and it had tried to promote a particular lifestyle, rather than just clothing.

It said the camera angles used, shot from below, were means to show empowering, confident young women, and that imagery that may be construed as sexual, including the image of the strawberry between lips, were merely motifs used to create the lifestyle brand.

It added that the ad was shown on VOD around Love Island and was not dissimilar from the opening titles and content of the programme itself.

The ASA upheld the complaint and ordered that the ad must not appear again in its current form: “We told Missguided Ltd not to use advertising that objectified women and which was likely to cause serious offence.”

Boohoo came before the ASA regarding a marketing email, received on July 15, which featured the subject heading “Send Nudes (eyes emoji)”. The body of the email contained a photo of a female model wearing a beige jacket with the words “Send nudes. Set the tone with new season hues” written across the image.

A complainant challenged whether the reference to “send nudes” was socially irresponsible.

Boohoo.com said the use of the word “nude” was solely to describe the colour resembling that of the wearer’s skin.

It said it targeted its customers by sending them the latest fashion trends, including the trend for “nude” colours. It said that the word was widely used by other retailers in relation to apparel.

The Boohoo brand targeted customers aged 16- to 24-years-old. To sign up to Boohoo’s website, the terms of use stipulated that the individual must be at least 18 years of age. The ad was sent to individuals who had agreed to Boohoo’s terms of use. It should not have been sent to any individual under 16 years of age.

The ASA acknowledged that the term “nude” was commonly described to refer to colours that were similar to some people’s skin tones. At the same time, the phrase “send nudes” was likely to be understood as referring to requests for sexual photos, which could be a form of sexual harassment.

ASA bosses said the ad breached advertising rules and must not appear again in the form complained about.

“We told Boohoo.com UK Ltd to ensure their ads were socially responsible.”