Cara Delevingne for Tom Ford Beauty
A fragrance effort by U.S. fashion label Tom Ford has received negative feedback due to accusations that the image is degrading to women.
Tom Ford is known for racy advertisements that often feature women in little to no clothing, often in a sexual manner, to sell the brand’s fashion and personal care items. This specific ad, for the brand’s Black Orchid fragrance, shows model Cara Delevingne nude in a pool of water cradling a bottle of the scent.
Trouble with Tom
After the billboard was placed in London, passersby complained that the ad was in view of children and its placement is in close proximity to places of worship. Others felt that the ad image is “degrading and objectified women.”
These complaints were filed with the United Kingdom’s regulatory body, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).
In response to the complaints, Tom Ford Beauty told ASA officials that the ad follows advertising guidelines and is not “sexual, but artistic and stylized.” Also, Tom Ford Beauty suggested that the image is not presented in a sexual way because most Ms. Delevingne’s body is immersed in the water.
Tom Ford Black Orchid ad
The ad has been cleared by the ASA and will remain in place because officials agreed that the image is not explicitly sexual and is not placed “within the immediate vicinity of a place of worship” or “within 100 meters of a school.”
While this ad may be considered by some to be distasteful, other brands have incorporated sexual innuendoes into campaigns for a laugh.
For example, German automaker Audi anticipated the movie theater release of “Fifty Shades of Grey” with a playful yet unlikely spoof on the talked about “elevator scene.”
Showing its good humor, Audi posted the film to social media with copy reading, “Holy cow, look at that fob” (see story).