In 2017, Australian lingerie brand Honey Birdette released a campaign called ‘Office Party Time’ where women were shown wearing lingerie while surrounded by fully clothed men. The images suggest that the women are the product available for purchase (rather than the lingerie) and that a woman’s role in the workplace is to serve and arouse.
Ad Standards received multiple community complaints that these ads sexualised and objectified women.
Honey Birdette has a history of using sexualised images and arguing that it empowers women.
But regardless of the brand’s intentions, sexualisation and objectification are proven to have damaging impacts on women’s body image.
Find out more about the health impacts of gender inequality in advertising.
People remember ads that use sexual appeals, but they don’t tend to remember the product or brand the ad was trying to sell.
Plus studies show that women don’t like ads that sexualise women.
And when you consider that 70% of all brand purchasing decisions are made by women, it’s easy to see that sexualisation and objectification is bad for business.
On the other hand, gender equality is proven to boost the bottom line. And it improves the workplace, too.
Respectful and multidimensional portrayals of women and girls can help bring an end to violence against women.
Find out how you can drive change in your industry.
