Online fashion brand rapped by advertising watchdog for overly sexualising women

PrettyLittleThing's Umar Kamani with ambassadors Stassie, Kylie Jenner and Jordyn Woods

Manchester online fashion brand Prettylittlething.com has been censured by advertising watchdogs for overly sexualising and objectivying women.

A complaint was received by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) about a pre-roll Youtube ad for Prettylittlething.com, seen on October 29, 2019.

The ad opened with a woman wearing black vinyl, high-waisted chaps-style knickers and a cut-out orange bra, dragging a neon bar and looking over her shoulder.

The ad proceeded to show women in seductive poses, wearing various lingerie style clothing and holding the neon bars.

The complainant, who believed the ad was overly sexualised and objectified women, challenged whether the ad was offensive and irresponsible.

In response, Prettylittlething.com, part of the Manchester-based Boohoo fashion group controlled by the Kamani family, said the ad highlighted how they supported and promoted diversity through bold and distinctive fashion of all shapes and sizes which focused on different trends.

They said they had not intended to create an ad which was deemed offensive and irresponsible.

They said they worked hard to promote a positive and healthy body image that was inclusive and empowered women.

Prettylittlething.com provided a mood board to demonstrate the creative theory behind the ad and explained that the ad was inspired by their customers who seek the latest rave style clothing.

In upholding the complaing, the ASA noted that the ad began with a woman looking over her shoulder in a seductive manner wearing black vinyl, high-waisted chaps-style knickers which revealed her buttocks.

A later scene depicted a woman wearing a transparent mesh bodysuit. The woman was lying on her side with her knee bent up and with a neon bar between her legs.

The next scene showed a woman in a bikini top, holding the neon bar behind her shoulders in a highly sexualised pose which accentuated her breasts.

The woman was then depicted crouched down with her legs apart, wearing chaps-style trousers to reveal string bikini bottoms.

The ASA said: “We considered that the cumulative effect of the scenes meant that overall, the products had been presented in an overly-sexualised way that invited viewers to view the women as sexual objects.

“We, therefore, concluded that the ad was likely to cause serious offence and was irresponsible.”

The ASA said the ad breached CAP Code rules (Social responsibility) and (Harm and offence).

It ruled that the ad must not appear again in its current form: “We told Prettylittlething.com Ltd not to use advertising that was likely to cause serious offence by objectifying women.”

Close