Daily Mail
Can you spot the difference between Eva's Wonderbra and Kevin's underpants?
Subhead: Why a muscular man can't follow in supermodel's footsteps
(Loin King Poster) The poster for the underpants
(Wonderbra Ad) Wonderbra girl Eva
By JULIET WEST
One shows a blonde model in a Wonderbra and the slogan ; Hello Boys.
The other pictures a muscular male torso in white cotton underpants next to
the legend: The Loin King.
The advertising posters are certainly eye-catching and risque, but are they
an acceptable way to sell underwear? Yes and no says the Advertising
Standards Authority. While supermodel Eva Herzigova was able to show off
her bra on hoardings nationwide, the underpants poster is too much too
bear, it says.
It treats the male body like a piece of meat and should be rephotographed
with a different model.
Now the ASA's Committee of Practice has been accused of double standards by
the businessman behind the £100,000 Christmas advertising campaign, which
also uses the slogan Full Metal Packet.
Kevin Higgs, 34-year-old managing director of Leicestershire-based Brass
Monkeys retailers, said: "The committee told me , "We're ever so sorry but
your man is far too big, the poster is too sexual".
"I couldn't believe what I was hearing. They said I would have to re-shoot
the photograph with a smaller model.
"For retailers selling female underwear, it seems to be a case of the more
cleavage the better. Just look at the Wonderbra adverts.
"I see this as a case of basic sexism. For decades, the advertising
industry has used sexual images of the female form to sell all kinds of
products without any problem.
"We are selling underwear. What are we supposed to do - put the underpants
on the model's head? The ad has already appeared in a men's magazine, and
there were no complaints about that."
Grahame Fowler, ASA external affairs manager, said: "I am sure if this
image did go up on posters, it would cause complaints.
"The ad focusses on the man's groin area, treating the male body like a
lump of meat."
It was, however, suitable for magazines targetting young men and women.
He said of the Wonderbra advert: "It was felt that the caption showed the
model to be a woman who is control of her sex. At least it showed the whole
of the woman, whereas this just concentrates on the torso."
Women's rights campaigners were last night outraged by the ASA comments.
Julie Bindel, spokesman for the International Conference on Women being
held in Britain, said: "This is a classic example of double standards when
it comes to the depiction of women in advertising.
"The issue here is that women can be shown scantily-clad in provocative,
sexual poses yet different rules apply when it comes to men.
"When men are shown in sexual poses, it instantly becomes an issue of
morality. the message being put out is that it's OK for women to be
portrayed as sexually available but not men. This is utter hypocrisy."
