Watchdog clears fragrance advert featuring semi-naked man but bans Tunnock's tea cakes poster of woman's thigh

Alexandra Richards7 February 2018

An advert showing a female tennis player's thigh was banned while another ad showing women swooning over a semi-naked man was not.

Paco Rabanne’s advert for its fragrance XS, which was aired in July, received 120 complaints from men and women claiming that it was sexist towards both genders, The Times reported.

However, a promotion for Tunnock's tea cakes showing a tennis player lifting her skirt to expose her thigh was banned in a crackdown on sexist advertising despite only prompting one complaint.

The woman is holding a teacake instead of a tennis ball by her thigh. The message alongside the advert read: “Where do you keep yours?”

One complaint was received on the grounds that it objectified women leading to the watchdog banning the advert as it could cause offence.

The fragrance ad featured a man getting undressed in a bathroom as women ogled him in a one way mirror before fainting.

The Advertising Standards Authority said it had received complaints that the advert objectified men while some accused it of reinforcing stereo types against women.

The racy advert was aired during a Channel Four children’s show called Gogglesprogs.

The watchdog said that many of the complaints it received claimed that it was inappropriate for children.

Paco Rabanne defended its advert claiming that it was “highly stylised” and clearly a “fantastical world”.

The fragrance company said its audience was accustomed to its on-going humour and the “challenges between sexes” in its ads.

It said that in the advert the male character knew he was being watched and was “showing off” and therefore it was not objectification.

The company said that the female characters in the ad were all “shown to act within their own control” and demonstrated a “high state of awareness” of their actions.

The ASA said in a report that it would not be banning the advert as it was “not realistic” and that the scenes were “comedic and farcical”.

It said that although it acknowledged that the ad was risqué, it showed the male character’s attractiveness in a light-hearted, humorous way, rather than in a degrading or humiliating manner.

“Whilst we acknowledged some might find the ad distasteful, we considered, for the above reasons, the ad did not objectify the male character and we concluded it was unlikely to cause serious or widespread offence,” the report concluded.

Tunnock's Tea Cakes said that it “did not intend to offend anyone” with its promotion which was blown up into a billboard poster and was displayed opposite the SSE Hydro arena in Glasgow in November before Al Murray’s charity exhibition match with Roger Federer.

Furious tea cake fans hit out at the ban.

The advert was banned after one person complained
Tunnocks, ASA

Clive Sinclair wrote: "One person complains about a Tunnocks Teacake advert and it’s banned?? Political correction gone mad!"

Another person added: "Whoever complained about the teacake/tennis advert really needs to have a long hard look in the mirror. Get a life."

The ASA announced last year that it would be cracking down on adverts that it considered to be sexist towards men and women.

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