The ad that’s too sexy for shops

It’s hard to sell sexy lingerie without a little sex appeal, but one Aussie label has been told it’s gone too far with its latest ad.

High-end lingerie designers Honey Birdette, will need to pull one of their poster ads after a number of people complained it was far too sexual.

The image in question (pictured above) is one that appears alongside six others on a digital billboard inside the brand’s stores – which are only open to people over the age of 18.

After being reviewed by the Australian Ad Standards Bureau, it was deemed that, “the depiction of nipples in an image in a store window is not appropriate” and that the ad didn’t comply with the bureau’s code that “Advertising or Marketing Communications shall treat sex, sexuality and nudity with sensitivity to the relevant audience.”

Responding to the verdict, the brand’s creator Eloise Monaghan, tells the Daily Mail, “What's so threatening about a female nipple as opposed to a male nipple?”

“People have nipples, wow. It's not like there are tassels on them, they are covered and we faded them as much as possible but unfortunately we are a target.”

The same issue has long been a thorn in women’s sides on Instagram where the “free the nipple” campaign has been going strong for five years and is pushing for gender equality when it comes to showing nude bodies.

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