Demi Lovato poster censored for blasphemy in UK

State Agency

In August 2022, singer Demi Lovato removed promotional posters for her album Holy Fvck from the streets of London, the capital of the United Kingdom. The action was decided by the ASA – the authority that corresponds to CONAR (National Council for the Autoregulation of Advertising) in Brazil. According to The Drum portal, the justification was “blasphemy and gross abuse of Christianity”.

According to the British portal’s investigation, the authority claimed that the ad linked a Christian icon – Jesus nailed to the cross – with sexuality. This is because the poster showed the singer wearing bondage clothing and lying on a bed in the shape of a cross. Furthermore, the association pointed out that the position of Demi’s legs in the image is the same as that in which Jesus Christ is usually depicted on crosses.

In a decision sent to Polydor Records, the UK division of Universal Music, the ASA said the promotional content was offensive. “We [ASA] “We believe that the image of Lovato bound in a bondage-style outfit lying on a cross-shaped mattress, in a position with her legs tied to one side, was reminiscent of Christ on the cross,” the organizer wrote.

The album’s name Holy Fvck printed in the image was also deemed problematic by the agency because it is a pun on an obscene English expression. The ASA stated that the use of the term in the poster violates the country’s illegal provisions regarding the use of inappropriate language in public settings, and places where children may be present.

To The Drum, Polydor Records said it did not believe the poster could constitute a serious offence. In its defence, the record company said it had consulted with the agency about the feasibility of putting up posters on the streets, and that the corporation had given its approval for the campaign to run. The material was displayed in London for four days, at six locations across the city, until 23 August 2022 – when the decision was taken to suspend its publication.