Honey Birdette, Broadway: City of Sydney councillor Linda Scott rallies against lingerie shop’s advertising violations
A provocative lingerie company has breached advertising standards more than 60 times, as a Sydney council is set to call for the raunchy ads to be banned to protect children.
Central Sydney
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A prominent lingerie and bondage shop could be banned from advertising in shopping centres, if a City of Sydney councillor has her way.
‘Luxury lingerie brand’ Honey Birdette has been accused of breaching multiple Ad Standards Australia Code of Ethics violations in a five-year-long battle with the department.
The breaches come amid claims from City of Sydney councillor Linda Scott that the outlet was advertising highly sexual displays just metres from a children’s retailer, Lego, at Broadway Shopping Centre.
The “bondage, sexy toy and fetish-themed retailer” as it was described by Cr Scott, has reportedly breached the Australian Association of National Advertisers “more than 60 times”.
With breaches raising concerns over “Advertising sexuality and nudity with sensitivity to the relevant audience” to “advertising where images of minors, or people who appear to be minors.”
“In light of the rise in domestic violence and public attacks against women in Sydney, I’m even more determined to take action to ensure advertising images depicting violent acts against women aren’t displayed prominently in our local shopping centres,” Cr Scott told The Daily Telegraph.
“Companies such as Honey Birdette have been able to exploit loopholes in voluntary advertising codes to display pornographic and violent images of women for too long.”
“Women should be safe, and feel safe, in our City.”
Cr Scott said complaints had been raised with council over the Broadway outlet’s advertising in “clear view” of the nearby Lego store and uses large shopfront image displays to advertise their explicit product.
The Daily Telegraph understands Ad Standards Australia have been attempting to order Honey Birdette to comply with advertising Standards for almost five years.
This has included their attempts to pursue working with the Shopping Centre Council of Australia to ensure shopping centre owners include compliance with advertising standards in lease agreements.
Ad Standards boss Richard Bean told The Telegraph Honey Birdette presents a “unique challenge” because they do not accept that the complaints “raise legitimate issues and control their advertising medium”.
“If Honey Birdette were to display their ads in another medium, they would face almost certain removal when a complaint is upheld.” she said.
“This financial year, Honey Birdette has been found in breach of the AANA Code of Ethics six times, and received 14 complaints in 2024 that were linked to 11 ads.”
Ad Standards Code of Ethics and Practices have been updated to curb incidents of sexual imagery in advertising, following increased community concern and children’s exposure to sexualised images.
Many of these changes which include, ‘Advertising shall not present or portray violence unless it is justifiable in the context of the product or service advertised’, ‘advertising shall treat sex, sexuality and nudity with sensitivity to the relevant audience,’ Honey Birdette are also in breach of.
Honey Birdette was approached for comment.
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