Britain's Advertising Standards Authority likes to ban ads for being overly racy, deceiving consumers or encouraging dangerous behavior. But it's drawn a line at banning ads for glamorizing the "walk of shame."
According to the Telegraph, the ASA has decided to allow a Harvey Nichols' holiday commercial (which we admired ourselves back in December) to stand. The spot, posted on the British retailer's Youtube channel, features young women stumbling back home in the morning after a long night, with the tagline "Avoid the Walk of Shame this season."
Many thought the ad funny and clever when it initially debuted (including HuffPost Style readers, some of whom commented "Nicely done." and "I -love- this commercial!"). But the ASA says it received a handful of complaints from viewers who found the ad demeaning to women as well as classist (for suggesting that "lower class women who had one-night stands should feel shame, whilst more wealthy women who behaved in the same way should feel proud").
One complaint also took issue with the models shown wearing ripped tights, arguing that it implied sexual violence has occurred.
But ultimately, the five different complaints were not enough to warrant banning the cheeky video. Plus, as Harvey Nichols noted, "After 725,000 views on YouTube, the ad had received 1223 likes and only 221 dislikes."
"We acknowledged that some people might find the theme of the ad distasteful," writes the ASA, "but we concluded that it was unlikely to cause serious or widespread offence."
Check out Harvey Nichols' holiday spot below. Do you find the "walk of shame" theme offensive?
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