Australian innerwear retailer Bras N Things has managed to sway an Ad Standards Community Panel to dismiss a complaint over lingerie imagery on its website.
A complainant shared eight website images that show various women wearing lacy lingerie, with some visibly revealing the models’ nipples.
The complainant said that while they appreciate and support the brand as a customer, they found some of the current advertising content “inappropriate and inconsistent with previous standards.”
“I believe there is a difference between receiving this type of content in an email, where it is more targeted and expected, versus encountering it on Facebook while scrolling through a general feed,” the complainant wrote.
“On Facebook, this content is more likely to be seen unintentionally by a broad audience, including children, which makes it feel more intrusive and inappropriate in that context.”
Bras N Things quickly responded to the complaint, writing that it is never the intent of the business to cause distress over its imagery.
“Our purpose is to support women to confidently be themselves by creating a world where women are fit to thrive, by helping them feel uplifted, included, and empowered.
According to the statement, Bras N Things’ Facebook ads are only targeting women over the age of 18, with its standard audience between 18 and 55. The spokesperson said they do not have the option in the Facebook Ad platform to target under 18s.
“We also use our own primary customer data to reach our customers on the platform,” they reported, adding that children do not see this advertising.
“The link then takes you to the website, whereby the customer has made the choice to enter the store.”
The spokesperson said that Bras N Things does show nipples in spaces that customers have made the choice to come and have a look at, such as its website. “This is not done to draw attention. The shots of are of the women (unretouched) and our product as it sits on body.
“All of this is important for authenticity and to ensure we aren’t changing to women’s bodies as they have been in the past. Something many women have asked for to advocate change and normalise different bodies.
“I do apologise if the website has caused any distress, again it is not our intent, it is in fact the opposite.”
The Ad Standards Community Panel review found that while the pictures did contain partial nudity, the complainant only provided examples from the Bras N Things website.
“As such, for the purposes of this case, the relevant audience of these images would be people who have chosen to visit the advertiser’s website. The Panel considered that this would be mostly adults looking to purchase lingerie.”
The panel then noted that Bras n’ Things is a lingerie brand and there would be a reasonable consumer expectation that their website would contain images of women wearing the products being sold by the brand.
The panel also noted that many of the images depicted sheer lingerie and women’s nipples and pubic region could be seen through the material.
“The panel considered that the women were not posed in a sexualised manner and the focus of the images was on the details of the products being promoted. The panel considered that the sexuality and nudity in the advertisement were treated with sensitivity to the primarily adult audience.”
After finding that the advertisement did not breach any section of the code, the panel dismissed the complaint.