An online PrettyLittleThing product listing for a pair of jeans has been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for displaying exposed breasts and objectifying women.
Two images on the listing show the same woman modelling the jeans but wearing nothing on her top half, using her hands to cover her breasts.
Members of the public complained to the advertising watchdog, branding the ad as sexually objectifying women and challenging whether it was ‘offensive and irresponsible’.
The news comes a month after Adidas had three sports bra ads banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for displaying bare breasts.
PrettyLittleThing responded to the complaints by claiming that it always strived to use “inclusive, body positive imagery and communication”.
The clothing brand also stated that it takes body positivity and freedom of expression “very seriously” and aimed to “empower” its customers to increase their self-esteem.
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“The company explained that ads for women’s jeans had historically included images of models with nothing on their top and they had been widely accepted as tasteful and inoffensive”, the ASA said.
“It said that its models and the way its team shot their clothing embraced the diversity of women in society and the brand’s customer base, while also supporting empowerment and freedom of expression.”
While the brand did not believe the images objectified women, it appreciated the importance of the issue and decided to take down the images from its website.
The authority itself said that the topless nature of the photographs were “not relevant to the product being advertised” and caused viewers to “focus on the woman’s breasts”.
The watchdog added: “We considered that the ad was likely to have the effect of objectifying the woman by using her physical features to draw attention to the jeans in a way that was not pertinent to the product.”
“For those reasons, we concluded that the images objectified the woman. They were therefore irresponsible and likely to cause serious offence.”
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