Lingerie chain Honey Birdette censors ad it fears will fall foul of Australian regulators

A lingerie chain has said it will have to censor an image it is free to show in the US and the UK because it would fall foul of the Aussie ad police.

A lingerie retailer has claimed it has been forced to censor an advert in Australia that would be allowed in London or New York.

The founder of the Honey Birdette chain, which started out in Brisbane, has said advertising restrictions in Australia are “seriously frightening”.

Eloise Monaghan, along with her wife Natalie, stripped off for a photo shoot to coincide with Sydney’s Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras which reaches a crescendo on February 29 with the world famous parade through Darlinghurst.

In the shoot, dubbed “Fluid”, the Monaghans and a number of other models bare all while being painted in the colours of the rainbow flag.

Their genitalia are obscured but the models’ nipples are front and centre

Ms Monaghan said an uncensored image would appear in the US and UK.

Honey Birdette has put this notice eon its website.

However, she said constant notifications to the advertising watchdog of Honey Birdette’s marketing materials had led the company to censor the ad by blurring out the imagery.

“I honestly don’t know what’s happening with Australia. It’s seriously frightening,” she said.

“Australia was very free thinking and we’re not like that anymore.

“Those fringe groups are really having way too much of a say with the conservative government,” the Courier Mail reported her as saying.

Honey Birdette’s ads are often in the sights of regulators and have been accused of sexualising women. Some ads have been reported not because of the imagery as such, but rather because they have been placed in public places, like shopping centre store fronts, where children could see them.

The full version of the ad, albeit with the women’s nipples censored.

NIPPLES ARE THE ISSUE
The main issue with the Mardi Gras ad appears to be the visibility of the women’s nipples.

According to Ad Standards, the organisation that self regulates the Australian advertising industry, nipples are fine in outdoor adverts – so long as they’re on men.

According to the body’s guidelines, “the Australian community does not find the depiction of male chests and nipples to be strongly sexualised or inappropriate nudity”.

However women’s nipples fall into the sexualised category and are only normally allowed in specific circumstances such as marketing materials for plastic surgeons or art exhibitions.

In general, Ad Standards has had adverse findings against adverts it deems to be “highly sexually suggestive and inappropriate for the relevant audience” particularly if it could be seen by people outside of the aimed for audience. That rule applies to both men and women, nipples of no nipples.

But even a Honey Birdette advert that featured a woman with pasties over her nipples, to get around the rule, was rejected by Ad Standards.

The organisation said in 2019 that this was because it, “drew attention to her breasts and that therefore the image is highly sexually suggestive”.

Managing director of Honey Birdette Eloise Monaghan (right) with wife Natalie.

Honey Birdette ads have been reported many times to regulators for being too suggestive.

Ms Monaghan said she was concerned that as the advert also featured people of the same gender kissing and caressing, that would further bring it to the attention of regulators.

“Apparently when the gays kiss it’s not as acceptable. Why can we have a man and woman embracing in a perfume advertisement, but when it comes to two men or two women, it’s socially unacceptable and it’s being sexualised?” Ms Monaghan said.

“We’re not in the business of just creating controversy. We’re in the business of creating love, and these new ad regulations are stricter than they’ve ever been.”

The campaign was filmed in Los Angeles, where the couple are now based.

“It was quite daunting to strip off in front of your team. But I think by the time that we got there, it was so liberal and so empowering, I didn’t even think about it. It wasn’t until afterwards, I thought ‘holy hell’.”

News.com.au has contacted Honey Birdette for comment.