ASA back ‘sensual’ nude Tom Ford poster campaign starring Cara Delevingne
The Advertising Standards Authority has backed a risqué billboard campaign for perfume brand Tom Ford, describing it as ‘sensual not explicit’.
Prominently situated on Brick Lane within the heart of London’s east end the advertisement depicts the model and not a lot else half submerged in a dark liquid.
Several members of the public complained that the piece objectified women and its proximity to religious buildings was disrespectful but the advertising body threw such concerns out, allowing the ad to remain in place.
Outlining its stance on Delevingne’s state of undress the ASA said: “although her buttocks were visible, they were presented in virtual profile and not in a sexual way.”
The watchdog went onto observe that "neither her pose nor her facial expression were sexually suggestive in any way" before adding that her strategic immersion was "classical in nature and had been depicted in art over the years."
Picking up on the religious angle the ASA pointed out that the area in question was a ‘busy, diverse and popular’ area of the capital and was not ‘in the immediate vicinity’ of any churches or mosques.