A magazine ad for Australian supermodel Elle Macpherson’s line of lingerie was banned in Britain after it was labelled “offensive”. Inspired by the Alfred Hitchcock (news) film “Rear Window”, the ad for Elle Macpherson Intimates shows a woman through a keyhole, dressed in a bra and panties — with her thumbs inside the panties.
“The complainant objected that the advertisement was offensive because it suggested that the model was masturbating,” the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA), an industry watchdog, ruled. Obviously, that “complainant” has a very dirty mind. Ladies, is it even possible to masturbate with your thumbs? OK, maybe it does look like she’s masturbating in the ad.
Obviously as dirty-minded as the “complainant,” the ASA said the ad was “likely to cause serious or widespread offence,” disagreeing with the editors of Vogue — in which it had appeared — who thought it was “beautiful with no disturbing undertones”. Bendon Ltd, which markets Elle Macpherson Intimates, was instructed by the ASA not to repeat the image again, and to seek advice before running similar ads in the future.
Macpherson, nicknamed “The Body” for her swimsuit work, launched her lingerie line more than 10 years ago, but last year for the first time she stoppped appearing in its advertising. She turns 41 on March 29. And she still looks as hot as ever.
