Alpha 
Post by fretslider on Apr 29, 2015 2:37:49 GMT -5
An attempt to ban a naked poster of the model Cara Delevingne from being displayed near mosques and churches has been thrown out by the advertising watchdog after advertisers argued that it resembled “classical” art. The Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) ruled that the billboard, which shows Miss Delevingne wallowing in a shallow pool of water with one breast and buttock visible in profile, was “sensual and sexually suggestive” but not explicit.
It concluded that the advert, for the Tom Ford Black Orchid perfume range, should not have been placed within 100 metres of a school because of the sexual content. But it rejected a complaint that the poster, sited on the corner of Brick Lane, in east London, which has a large Bengali Muslim population, was inappropriate because there are mosques and churches nearby.
The ASA said the poster was not in the “immediate vicinity” of any place of worship and was in a “busy, diverse and popular” area of the capital. The nearest mosque is about 100 metres away from where poster was on display while the closest church is three times that distance, the adjudication notes. It also threw out a claim that it was degrading to women, ruling that similar naked imagery is common in the beauty industry.
There is no specific rule on displaying sexual close to places of worship but ASA guidelines published in 2011 make clear that sexually suggestive images should not be placed within 100 metres of a school.
Companies buying billboard space can voluntarily request special restrictions to protect children, including opting not to have their posters placed on sites within 100m of schools.
The guidelines, drawn up following a major report into the sexualisation of childhood by the Mothers’ Union chief Reg Bailey, say that the ASA will take into account whether or not the company has requested special restrictions when considering complaints.
“The ad featured an image of Cara Delevingne in which she was clearly naked and lying on her side in water, with much of one of her breasts shown along with the profile of her buttocks,” the adjudication explains.
“Despite her nudity we considered her pose was sensual and sexually suggestive but that it was not sexually explicit.
“We therefore considered that because the image was sexually suggestive, it should not have appeared within 100m of a school.
“We understood the ad in question did not have a placement restriction but equally noted it had not been placed in a location within 100m of a school and that a placement restriction was subsequently unnecessary in this instance.”
The ASA added that the fact that Miss Delevingne was clearly naked could have made it “more noticeable” to passers-by.
“However, we noted the ad did not appear within the immediate vicinity of a place of worship and that the area in question was a busy, diverse and popular area of London,” it explained.
“We therefore considered the ad had not been placed inappropriately.”
In its submission to the ASA Tom Ford Beauty, argued that the ad was meant to “capture the luxurious and sensual nature” of its scent and that Miss Delevingne,“embodied a modern version of classical femininity”.
“Whilst they accepted the model was nude, they said most of her body was underwater and mostly obscured and that although her buttocks were visible, they were presented in virtual profile and not in a sexual way,” the ASA explained.
“They believe that neither her pose nor her facial expression were sexually suggestive in any way and that they were classical in nature and had been depicted in art over the years.”
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/#source=refresh
It's a damn fine poster!
