Honey Birdette lingerie poster banned for ‘pornographic’ image

Honey Birdette founder has slammed the advertising standards board as sexist after one of the brand’s lingerie posters was banned for being overtly sexual.

Honey Birdette founder Eloise Monaghan has called out the advertising industry for “blatant sexism” after a lingerie poster was banned from shopfronts for being too “pornographic” and “overtly sexual.”

The Advertising Standards Community Panel received complaints from consumers regarding the advertising of Honey Birdette’s Mad Max inspired Valentine’s Day campaign, which featured a model with her legs spread sitting on top of a car.

They claimed the poster was “pornographic” and “not suitable for impressionable young teens to be advertised too.”

The banned Honey Birdette poster. Supplied.

Honey Birdette founder Eloise Monaghan.

While the Advertising Panel ruled that the image did not employ sex appeal in a manner which was degrading to women, it did breach section 2.4 of the code and was “overtly sexual” and not “appropriate for a display in a shopping centre where the relevant audience is broad and would include children.”

Model Travis Fimmel in a Calvin Klein poster at bus stop. Picture: Bob Barker.

An image from the Honey Birdette Valentine's Day collection. Picture: Florian Semanaz

“It’s outrageous that we think images that appear everywhere with men in their jocks with their legs spread are okay, yet you’ve got a woman in an empowering position and it gets upheld. Females do not have equality.”

Ms Monaghan said the ‘Kukuro’ Pink lingerie set was one of the brand‘s more full coverage styles.

“Nothing is uncovered and it‘s teaching women that they can’t be proud of their own bodies in a public space but men can,” she said.

“If a woman is walking around in fantastic lingerie and feels great, it’s for no-one else but her.”

The image has been removed from stores and been replaced with images from the brands new collection.

The brand has also been called to the Advertising Standards Committee over 20 separate times for complaints about their imagery.