Marks and Spencer lingerie advert banned for being too sexy

A Marks and Spencer lingerie advert which appeared on the side of buses has been banned for being ''overtly sexual'' and unsuitable for children.

Marks & Spencer's ad has been deemed "socially irresponsible" by the ASA

The poster, which pictured a stocking-clad woman kneeling on a bed with her legs wide apart and back arched, was deemed ''socially irresponsible'' by the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA).

The watchdog ordered the store to remove the advert promoting its Autograph range of of lingerie from all outdoor displays.

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It launched an investigation after receiving 15 complaints from members of the public about the image and another for the high street retailer in September.

The complainants said the images ''objectified women'', were ''sexually suggestive'' and were likely to be seen by youngsters.

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The ASA cleared one advert, saying it was ''mildly sexual'' but that children would understand that the poster was advertising lingerie and, as such, the models would not be fully clothed.

However, it deemed the pose of the model in the second poster more seductive, saying: ''We considered that the pose of the woman kneeling on the bed was overtly sexual, as her legs were wide apart, her back arched and one arm above her head with the other touching her thigh. We also noted that the woman in this image wore stockings.

''We considered that the image was of an overtly sexual nature and was therefore unsuitable for untargeted outdoor display, as it was likely to be seen by children. We concluded that the ad was socially irresponsible.''

Banned, the M&S lingerie advert that was 'too sexy' for the side of a bus

A lingerie advert for Marks & Spencer has been banned for being ‘overtly sexual’.

The advert, shown on the side of double-decker buses, pictured a woman on a bed with her legs apart, back arched, one arm above her head and the other touching her thigh.

Fifteen people complained to the Advertising Standards Authority about that image, and another for the store.

Suggestive: The M&S lingerie advert on the side of a bus. The ad shows a woman on a bed and has been banned for being 'too sexy'

They said the adverts for the Autograph range of lingerie ‘objectified women’ and were unsuitable for buses as they were ‘sexually suggestive’ and could be seen by children.

The ASA cleared one advert showing models in less suggestive poses, saying that children would ‘understand the poster was advertising lingerie and, as such, the models would not be fully clothed’.

But it said of the other advert: ‘We considered that the image was of an overtly sexual nature and was therefore unsuitable for untargeted outdoor display, as it was likely to be seen by children. We concluded that the advert was socially irresponsible.’

It said the cleared advert, which showed one model with her ‘legs slightly apart with her hands behind her head’ and another lying on a bed with ‘some emphasis on her breasts’, was not in breach ‘in the context of an advert for lingerie’. Bosses at M&S said they did not believe either of the adverts were ‘offensive, overtly sexual or objectifying’.

They said they ‘simply featured the product, a lingerie range, and that they were well known as a lingerie retailer’.

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And they said the adverts were ‘part of a major campaign for one of their sub-brands which featured both outerwear and lingerie images shot in an atmospheric style’.

M&S chiefs also said that had the images been ‘unsuitable for use on buses’, this would have been raised by their internal clearance process. They said the same images had been used in M&S’s ‘in-store advertising and decor’.

A spokesman for the ASA said yesterday: ‘The ASA puts the protection of children at the heart of its work and our decision, and other recent ones like it, demonstrates the firmer line we are taking in response to public concerns about sexual imagery in untargeted outdoor adverts.

‘Our own research with parents, teachers and young people as well as a Government-commissioned report into the sexualisation and commercialisation of childhood, the Bailey Review, has put this issue at the top of our agenda. We issued a statement to the advertising industry in October urging greater care when placing adverts that contain sexual imagery that might be inappropriate or harmful to children.’

The ASA is holding a public debate tomorrow in Manchester about how to ‘protect children from inappropriate advertising’.

The panel will hear from members of the public about Britain’s ‘sexualised culture’ and  whether the accessibility of pornography and sexual imagery in adverts are leading to children growing up too quickly.