At the start of January, the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) announced that it was banning a Calvin Klein advertisement featuring the British singer FKA Twigs, after the regulator argued the ad presented her as “a stereotypical sexual object”.

In the advert itself, FKA Twigs - whose real name is Tahliah Debrett Barnett - is seen wearing a denim shirt, half-on and half-off her body, without any other item of clothing. The advert, which is advertising Calvin Klein clothing, comes with the caption: "Calvins or nothing".

Following the news that the advert would be banned, FKA Twigs hit back at the decision and shared a personal statement about how she believes the regulator is wrong in its judgement. 

Taking to Instagram, FKA Twigs said in a post: “i do not see the ‘stereotypical sexual object’ that they have labelled me. i see a beautiful strong woman of colour whose incredible body has overcome more pain than you can imagine.”

FKA Twigs also highlighted the gender double standards which seemed to be at play when it came to ads that are deemed to be “overly sexual”. She suggested that the regulator took no issues with a similarly revealing Calvin Klein ad campaign - featuring male actor Jeremy Allen White - which grabbed global headlines the week. 

Many members of the public have also spoken up over this double standard, noting that ads featuring women are often more likely to be deemed “sexual” than ads featuring men. 

With that in mind, let’s look at three recent examples of women’s ads being banned after the ASA deemed them to be “overly sexual”:

‍

Boohoo ad banned after it was called “sexually suggestive” 

In 2022, an ad by global fashion company Boohoo was banned after the ASA said that they used “sexually suggestive” images. They claimed that these images “objectified and sexualised women.”

In the images themselves - which were intended to promote swimwear items - a model is shown in various different poses. In one image, she is presented from behind in a kneeling position; in another, she is sitting with her legs spread apart; while in a third, the model has a t-shirt folded up to expose her lower half.

It was reported that a complaint was made to the ASA, after which they investigated. The regulator deemed that neither the “partial nudity nor the bikini bottoms were relevant to the product” and that the “images did not show the product as it would usually be worn.”

Despite the decision to ban the ad, Boohoo ultimately defended the campaign. They argued that the clothing was part of their swimwear category and that the images present the clothes in a way that “reflects the diversity of women in society and Boohoo’s customer base.”

‍

Missguided ad banned after claims its content was “objectifying”

In 2020, the ASA ruled back that an ad being shared by fashion brand Missguided was objectifying women rather than advertising an actual product. 

The image was of a model wearing a Missguided blazer jacket, as well as tights, underwear and heels. The model appears to be wearing nothing underneath, and the curve of one of her breasts is exposed. 

In banning the ad, the ASA argued that the focus was on the model in a state of undress, rather than on the product itself. 

They stated: “We considered she would be seen as being in a state of undress and that the focus was on her chest area and lower abdomen rather than the clothing being advertised. 

“We also noted that her head was tilted back, with her mouth slightly open, and her leg was bent and raised, which we considered was likely to be seen as a sexually suggestive pose.”

‍

Pretty Little Thing commercial banned for being “overly sexualised”

A commercial which was shared by fashion retailer Pretty Little Thing in 2019 was banned by the ASA, after the watchdog claimed that it was “overly sexualised.”

The 30-second advert, which was broadcast on YouTube, saw female models in various different poses wearing PLT underwear, as well as what the company called “rave-style clothing.” 

The ad was deemed “likely to cause serious offence and was irresponsible”. The ASA added that it was “presented in an overly-sexualised way that invited viewers to view the women as sexual objects.”

‍

‘Overly sexualised’ is in the eye of the beholder

FKA Twigs is probably one of the most prominent figures in the entertainment and fashion industry to address what seems to be the double standard in the way that regulators police adverts. 

As the examples above show, adverts where women wear revealing clothing are often deemed to be “sexualised” or “suggestive” - even if what’s being advertised are products like bikinis or underwear, which by their very nature are always going to be revealing. 

Following on from the Calvin Klein ruling, many people are starting to come to the conclusion that banning these ideas for being “sexualised” probably says more about the regulators than about the ad campaigns themselves.

‍