Every yearAdvertising Standards Authority Law in UK restricts number of advertisements. Only recently fashion brandMiu Miu advertisement featuring 22 year old actress Mia Goth made the list of restricted ads. There is not much of the talk about this just yet. But let's take a look at other scandalous companies of the past.
Too sexy, skinny, young, naked, provoking - one or all could be the reason for advertisement restriction. People love to complain and keep Advertising committee busy. And it isn't just fashion industry we are talking about, everyone is struggling.
Oliviera Toscani Benetton, 1992.
As the saying goes, if everyone is complaining about an advertisement, that is because Tom Ford put his finger on it. When Tom Ford joined Gucci in 1994, he helped to stabilize company's finances, increasing sale almost up to 90%. His artistic collaboration with Karin Roitfeld and photographer Mario Testino brought the brand unbelievable success, but an equal amount of dissatisfaction. Especially an advertisement of the company in 2004 where log of Gucci appeared on the pubis of model Carmen Kaas and shortly after disappeared. During several days this advertisement was restricted for the world.
Not Ford, neither Roitfeldstop there. Tom was regularly in trouble with public and Karin, for last ten years of her work as an Editor of French Vogue, was blamed in pedophile, anorexia and racism propaganda.
Remember Opium perfume by Yves Saint Laurent, year 2000, with nude Sophie Dahl?
She made the list of one of the 10 most provocative ads.
In 2002 Tom Ford tried to use men's nude body while trying to advertise fragrance M7 by Yves Saint Laurent. The penis was visible and it shocked the public, but Tom explained that fragrance is worn on the body, so he sees no reason to hide it. In addition photograph copied a photo of Yves Saint Laurent back in 1971 where he posed naked for advertisement of men's perfume. A few of magazines published the ad.
Tom Ford kept going. In 2007 he releasedthe advertisement, photographed by Terri Richardson, featured a model with legs spread and a bottle of perfume between. This ad was restricted in several countries.
Up until year 2000 Calvin Klein was blamed for anorexia and very sexual young people on his ads. It began with legendary ad of 1980s with 15 year old Brooke Shields and jeans with nothing under it. Back then brand was forced to stop production of jeansfor eight years.
In 1992 company release a new ad featuring Kate Moss and Mark Wahlberg which promoted unisex. Viewers decided it promoted anorexia. Eight years later, Calvin Klein was blamed for promotion of group sex. Two years later American TV restricted an ad for Calvin Klein's jeans.
Miu Miu came under fire when a dangerous subject came up in their latest advertisement. In its ads company photographs young actresses, many of whom look much younger for their age. Actress Mia Goth, 22 year old star of "Nymphomaniac", model for "Storm" agency and a friend of Shia Labeouf, looks very young and poses in a way which promotes sex. That was an opinion of viewers and committee agreed. Last week they restrictedposters in England.
Public sanctimony? Competition? We'll never know.
Text Miles Socho
