Cautionary tales: naked man in Body Shop ad offends
Author: CIMCOM
Consumers in Australia have objected to the image of a near-naked man used to advertise The Body Shop’s men’s hemp based skin care products, with complaints directed at the company and on social media.
It’s not just that the ads feature a naked man, with a hemp leaf. The innuendo-laden tagline: “Get your hands on the good stuff,” has done nothing to impress Australian consumers.
It began when a Melbourne mother called on the company to ban the ads. Others have complained about the sheer scale of the ad posters displayed in store windows and the inapproriate and overtly sexualised image. Campaigning group, Collective Shout, has got behind the issue and is encouraging women to take action.
The Body Shop has countered these complaints by stating that the campaign “is meant to be tongue-in-cheek and thought-provoking and irreverent”. It’s defended its stance saying the Body Shop has “been a force for positive social and environmental change” with international campaigns, including Stop Violence in the Home campaign in 2008 and the Stop Sex Trafficking of Children and Young People campaign from 2009 to 2011.
In its Review of Operations, the Australian Ad Standards Bureau reported double the number of complaints last year, reaching 5,700 complaints. The issue of sex, sexuality and nudity was the third highest reason for making a complaint accounting for almost 15% of all complaints lodged.
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Offensive or artistic?
Do you think this advertising with its use of male nudity is offensive at worse and insensitive at best?
Or do you think it’s a well executed campaign with classic imagery reminiscent of Michelangelo’s David?
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