The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned an advertisement for Rustlers convenience food on the grounds that it presents a woman as a sex object, it has been announced.
The ad features a woman dressed in a short, tight-fitting butcher’s apron, stockings and high heels. The ASA has said that it received a total of 22 complaints regarding the online video ad. Some 18 complaints claim the ad presents the featured woman as a sex object, while the remaining four express concerns that the video can be seen by children.
After looking into the matter, the ASA ruled that the ad should be banned. Via UKMN
The advertising watchdog found that the ad was not offensive to adults but the videos featured on the website of the company were a form of sexualisation of the woman and could be seen by children on devices like iPads. The interactive ad allowed users to jump to specific words that the woman says, which construct a sexually explicit message when heard in a certain order.
Food processing company Kepak, which owns Rustlers, has been criticised for the use of the line “as fit as a butcher’s daughter” in the ad, as well as for the sexual implications featured in the video, showing the lady stroking a large sausage while speaking. Kepak and the makers of the ad argue that the message is misinterpreted, as the video actually shows a woman who is “in control”, rather than being exploited