UK bans Boohoo T-shirt advertising with bikini model to colorize women

LONDON (Reuters) – The United Kingdom’s advertising regulator has banned a T-shirt ad by online fashion store Boho featuring a model wearing a bikini bottom, as a way to sexualize women.

The watchdog said the advertisement was irresponsible and likely to cause serious insult, noting that neither partial nudity nor bikini bottoms were relevant to the product and that the images did not show the product as it was normally worn.

In a statement, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) added that one of the images in a series of poses on the listing was “sexually suggestive,” and another emphasized the exposed skin of the model rather than the product.

Boohoo, who sought to improve her reputation after negative publicity about the supply chain failure, told the agency that the photos were part of her swimwear category and that’s why the top-notch model was wearing a bikini.

A spokesperson for Boohoo, which also owns PrettyLittleThing, Nasty Gal and MissPap, said, “We are disappointed with the conclusions of this decision…Our marketing reflects our brand’s vibrant and confident culture, and is designed to empower, not intentionally offend.” Reuters.

“We removed the linked images from our website when we received the details of the ASA complaint,” he said.

(Reporting by Muvija M in London)