Lingerie ad pulled after viewers call it disgusting, blame it for porn addiction

A lingerie ad has been pulled from the airwaves amid a public furor that included one woman’s complaint the promo contributed to her husband’s porn addiction.

The Australian reports the ad from Innerware Lingerie in North Adelaide depicted a bra-clad woman in black, thigh-high stockings entering a tire shop to inquire of the counter clerk, “Can you fit me?”

Innerware Lingerie’s owners told the paper the ad was intended to publicize their store’s offer of free professional bra fittings.

But the promo sparked a brouhaha that concluded with a ruling by the Australian government’s TV watchdog agency, the Advertising Standards Board, that stated, “the advertisement did have a strong sexual suggestion with the combination of the woman wearing lingerie, her sexualized strutting, the focus on her body and the sexualized conversation.

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"In the board's view, the level of sexualization was not sensitive even to an M classification."

Evan Zorba, who started the chain of what is now four Adelaide lingerie shops in 1994, told The Australian in reply, ”my wife was the one who wanted something more exciting . . . The idea was about having fun with it. We didn’t want to offend anyone. It was a bit cheeky.”

Zorba added he and wife, Tina Zorba, have since revamped the ad, saying, “(The new one) is back on air already. It’s a new version which talks more about a 40 percent off promo. The last one was a fitting promo.”

But the damage may already be done. Zorba reportedly told The Australian the standards board received numerous complaints – one from a concerned mom who said the ad wasn’t appropriate for her three teenage boys.

Another enraged viewer reportedly wrote to say, “It disgusted me and it is degrading to women. I thought it was an ad for the sex industry when I first saw it."

For its part, Innerware not only modified the ad but issued a public apology that said: "On behalf of Innerware and Crisp Advertising, please accept our sincere apologies for any inconvenience that we inadvertently caused."

Click for the story from The Australian.