American Apparel Ads Are Too ‘Gratuitously’ Sexy for Britain Again

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Too sexy for the Anglos

American Apparel might love sexy basics, but they hate learning lessons. For the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned the retailer’s ads thanks to complaints that models appear “vulnerable and overtly sexual, with the photographs objectifying women,” according to the

might love sexy basics, but they hate learning lessons. For the third time this year, Britain’shas banned the retailer’s ads thanks to complaints that models appear “vulnerable and overtly sexual, with the photographs objectifying women,” according to the Huffington Post UK

For one image, an ad for thigh-high socks in which the model is photographed from the shoulders down (see it here), the ASA explained, “Although we considered it was reasonable for ads for hosiery to feature women in limited clothing, we considered the images and the model’s poses were gratuitous. We considered the images were overtly sexual and that they demeaned women by emphasizing the model’s groin, buttocks and breasts and by not including her face.”

And for the image shown above, “We considered the image to be gratuitous, particularly in an ad for knitwear. We also considered the model’s facial expression appeared blank, if not unsure, and were concerned that she appeared vulnerable. We considered the image was overtly sexual.” And “For the reasons given, we considered the ads were likely to cause serious offense to visitors to American Apparel’s website.”

American Apparel told the ASA that “they did their best to abide by the standards of the industry as well as creating authentic, honest and memorable images relevant to their customer base.”
· American Apparel Adverts Banned: ‘Sexual And Objectifying’ Images Show Models Half Naked [HuffPo]
· This is How to Get an American Apparel Ad Banned [Racked]