Agent Provocateur window displays in House of Fraser

[Fairyflaps]

These 2 images are among several massive photos filling the window displays at our local House of Fraser store promoting Agent Provocateur. The windows face onto the towns main pedestrianised shopping street, so there is no avoiding them if you go into town.

Am I right in thinking these are not appropriate images for such a public space? Within the lingerie department in the store maybe, but not on the High Street.

Going into the store and talking to the manager has not been successful. She just said that decisions on window displays was made by their head office, and I would have to take it up with them. Their website says it may take several days for them to respond to an email, and I have not been able to find a phone number for their head office.

What do you think?
And any suggestions of how I can complain more effectively?

Totally agree Starlight.

This is why so many men, who should be on side, feminism is good for positive thinking men too, will not take feminism seriously!

What a silly thing to say! We shouldn’t get upset because men won’t take feminism seriously otherwise? Ummm sorry but the whole point is we aren’t here to please men thank you very much! It’s a women’s movement, so we don’t need to pretend we don’t mind objectification and pornification of women’s bodies just to get men who do like it, ‘on our side’. This is normalisation of soft porn and I don’t like it. Neither do most of the women I have asked, certainly most here. Whether or not men mind isn’t going to have any bearing on my position.

I hate the joyless objectification of ‘uncomfortable women= What sex should be like’ in these ads and why men are supposed to want to buy into it... but leaving that aside for now.

i wonder if the best means of making a complaint and causing a fuss which the advertiser (Agent Provocateur) might get concerned about (or House of Fraser) might do, is that this campaign clearly is not aimed at adults.

It’s deliberately aimed at everyone- all ages, all social groups, because it’s placed on a high street bill boards in store and in the high street. In family department stores which are viewed and shopped in by everyone. Next to play areas too as PP have said.

If House of Fraser want to keep their stores shopped in by everyone they need to not offend, alienate or be avoided by their actual and potential customers.

It’s reasonable to ask them publicly WHY shops and manufacturers want to show explicit adverts with unhappy women with porn and bondage themes where (as it happens) the models look both miserable and either with something painful put up their bum or trussed up/restrained... but even if the models looked like they were having the best, happy and consensual sex of their lives, those kind of pictures should not be on show where kids and the many other people who will object to sexualised imagery can not reasonably take ANY steps to avoid seeing them.

So I think Twitter complaints which @ the HoF, AP and Advertising Standards Authority are worth it as well as emailed complaints. (Btw the ASA regulate social media and other online ads as well as billboard..)

The one on oxford street is t all the far from soho. I’ve seen more tasteful displays on widows there.

They are awful and would not make me buy the underwear. I like nice underwear but definitely not this! All I can see now is the fart vent! And the second one looks like electrical tape .....

This document for Parliament sets out the rules.... so it might also be worth @ing your local MP so that they know there’s sexualised advertising visible to children on their patch.

researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-8198/CBP-8198.pdf

5. Marketing and children: Specific issues
5.1 Advertisements located close to schools, play areas etc.
Once planning consent has been granted for an advertising hoarding, local authorities generally have no control over the subject matter of advertisements. Complaints about the content of a billboard or poster advertisements should be directed to the ASA. Such advertising falls under the remit of the CAP Code.
The placement of an advertisement will have a direct bearing on whether the ASA will judge it to be acceptable. It follows from this that an advert might be acceptable to the ASA if it appears in a magazine intended to be read by an adult but might be unacceptable if it appears on a billboard (see section 5.1 below).

5.2 Sexualised imagery
In 2011, the Department for Education published a report, “Letting Children be Children”, highlighting concerns about the sexualisation and commercialisation of children.

The ASA responded to the issues raised in this report by reconsidering its position in relation to sexualised imagery in posters.
Outdoor posters (e.g. billboards) which are “overtly/explicitly sexual’ are now prohibited, and material considered “sexually suggestive” must carry a placement restriction, ensuring it does not appear within 100 metres of a school.

Does it count as underwear if a) it doesn’t keep you warm, b) doesn’t hold your boobs/bum in place, c) covers less than 1% of your body, d) looks like a piece of medieval torture?

I stopped shopping in HoF the day Ashley bought it. Can't stand the man. And I don't disagree Ruth you about the window display

Also this link offers the ASA’s helpfully specific guide to what is considered ‘sexualised’ advertising content.. (again making the point it’s the context of where the image is shown that can result in ASA intervening):

www.asa.org.uk/asset/B2B3FDDA%2D93BD%2D476F%2DAB983AD77DA61079/

Sorry just one very last thing from that ASA link in case it helps to phrase a complaint:

How the ASA will judge complaints

When considering complaints the ASA will take into account:
• the nature of the product advertised
• the context of the ad and its location
• the medium in which the ad appears, including the size of the advertisement
• the audience and
• the likely response of that audience.

The ASA will also take into account the ability of advertisers to restrict the placement of their outdoor advertising, for example within 100m of schools.

Play areas and where families shop (should) also count as exposing an ad to children.

I agree underwear should be comfy but if its sole purpose was to keep you warm none of us would wear it in the summer.

If I had to list 10 things l am concerned about near playgrounds, this would not be one of them. Betting shops, smoking would both be on the list.

Walk into a playground (with a child) holding hands with another woman and look at the number of parents who try to avert their children’s eyes. This is the sort of thing you should be worried about!

I enjoy nice underwear. And I’m not ashamed to hsve some Agent Prov undies alongside some M&S knix in my top drawer. Bought by me for me. And not to attract any man.

Saw this in Manchester last week whilst with my young children and thought it was horrible for a window display.
Fully agree with you op

Again I can worry about all the things you have mentioned and this. I am sorry if you are not able to do this but I am fairly sure I am not unique in this capacity.

This article makes some valid points about how an overly-sexualised, misogynistic culture ultimately also negatively affects the mental health and expectations of (both sexes of) children. These adverts are part of that culture.

Why should our kids be potentially exposed to harm just to make more money for Mike Ashley/House of Fraser or Agent Provocateur or whoever?

www.economist.com/international/2018/07/19/concern-about-sexualised-children-often-misses-the-point

It's a no from me too

Seeing these sorts of images in daily life when I was young, always made me feel deeply uncomfortable. When I grew up I understood why. Because it makes me feel uncomfortable be be reminded when I'm just going about my daily business,what women are really "for". Eye candy for men, sex objects,to have their bodies dsplayed looked at judged lusted over.

I grew up in the late 70s / early 80s so the sun, topless calendars in shops, loads of shite on the telly benny hill is chasing a woman dressed as a schoolgirl HAHAHAHAHA
Then I was a teen when lads mags happened

This is more of the same. It still makes me feel uncofortable, and I imagine a lot of girls and women too.

And what does it tell men and boys? That they are entitled to have almost naked women adorning the high street FFS that their gaze RULES.

Big nope from me.

I sometimes wonder (and have since a teen!) how men would feel if all the sexy images of women in public were switched with men for 1 day. To have submissive, tuned out, head missing etc images, and so many of them. I suspect they would not like it one little bit.

It’s a bit much. Especially for children walking by. It’s not needed.

2 pictures of a woman in complicated underwear but somehow very unsexy. Why is she so grumpy?

They are deeply unattractive images.

They are deeply unattractive images.

oops sorry - dont know how that happened

They look sleazy.

No harm in saying it twice frog, you're not wrong.

The first one is a horrid pose, MrsBert has it right about her squeezing out a fart. Plus the lightening is all wrong on her chin.

The second one is disturbing. Underwear to make her look all bound up and with something round her throat to boot.

I do NOT want my kids walking past those sexualised images.

Even putting the feminist angle to one side they are awful photos and don't really make you want to buy the underwear (and I do own some AP underwear!)

Vote with your feet -Mike Ashley will do anything for publicity

Nothing i have felt scared a few times waiting alone on train platforms when they have had billboard lingerie ads up- Boux Avenue I remember as one of the advertisers. (Will never buy from them now- wankers)

Men behave very differently to the real life women around them when there’s a massive advertising shot right in front of them, of a female model being ‘sexy’ in pants and a bra. Its humiliating and hostile and fucking unnecessary. I haven’t seen these Agent Provocateur adverts IRL but I can well imagine how they might be making women feel.

Yes 100% agree.

Will never forget the feeling of men on the tube looking at page 3 and then looking up and raking their eyes over you. Or seeing them doing it to other girls often underage.

It's vile.

Present women and older girls as objects for sexual consumption by men, say that itis is perfectly fine and normal for public, and teh consequences are obvious. It's dehumanising and the men react accordigly.