Monitoring PC Extremism...ASA bans computer monitor ads with sexy images on screen

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The 24 inch Monitors page of http://www.aria.co.uk, which offered PC monitors for sale, featured images of 20 PC monitors. Eighteen of the images included a woman wearing underwear on the monitor screen. A complainant challenged whether the images were offensive, because they believed them to be sexist and degrading. ASA Assessment: Complaint Upheld The ASA noted the ad included images of women in their underwear and that two of the images showed women wearing only knickers and concealing their breasts with their arm and a pillow respectively. We therefore considered the images were likely to be seen as sexually provocative and had the effect of making those women appear sexually available. We also considered many of the models had sultry expressions on their faces and were shown in provocative positions, such as being laid on their backs with their arms outstretched or crawling towards the camera. We considered sexually provocative images of women bore no relation to the products being advertised and that the ad therefore objectified the women by portraying them as sexual objects. We considered that because the ad objectified women it was also sexist and degrading. On that basis, we concluded that the ad was likely to cause serious or widespread offence. The ad breached CAP Code rules 1.3 (Compliance) and 4.1 (Harm and offence).