Sexy Commercial Banned for Strange Reason
A sexy commercial for Yves Saint Laurent's Belle D'Opium fragrance staring French actress Melanie Thierry has been pulled from the air in the United Kingdom for the strangest reason.
This commercial was pulled from British television after the country’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) determined "the woman's actions simulated drug use, and therefore concluded it was irresponsible and unacceptable for broadcast.” Watch below and you’ll see the Thierry briefly jab her arm with her index finger.
The ASA released a statement outlining their reasons for banning the commercial:
We were concerned that in the context of the ad, Belle [played by French actress Melanie Thierry] running her finger down her inner arm could be seen to simulate the injection of opiates into the body.
We were also concerned that following that scene, Belle was shown moving in a series of short, rapid scenes, before the ad concluded with her body seizing upwards while lying on the floor, an action we considered could be seen to simulate the effect of drugs on the body.
Yves Saint Laurent has defended the commercial, conducting research that shows the vast majority of women are not offended by the ad. The company says the commercial has been viewed at least once by 44 million people without complaint. A survey of 96 French people showed none of the women had come away with the impression of harm, offence or drug use.
What do you think?
Source: Yves Saint Laurent
