A TV AD in the UK for a corset has been banned for being irresponsible.
The product, the Velform Mini Waist, is marketed as a waist compression garment for women.
A complaint was received in reaction to an infomercial that ran on Shop Channel UK and showed showed women demonstrating the product, with the voiceover explaining that all women need to do is “close, stretch and tighten” to change the shape of their waists.
In the course of the ad various women are shown using the product with the presenter asking:
Have you ever wondered how celebrities get those tiny waists they flaunt on the red carpet… introducing Velform Miniwaist, the secret to getting that sexy tiny waist, so small that you’ll be everyone’s envy.
The advert then goes on to show images of women with and without the product asks:
Think about it, what’s the difference between a woman’s shape and a man’s shape?
The company who marketed the product, Chromotion Ltd, said that it was a way for consumers to achieve a temporary slimming effect and that no specific levels of tightness were specified.
The Advertising Standards Authority in the UK upheld the complaint, saying that a number of statements in the ad do imply that a very small waist is desirable and should be aspired to.
Overall, we concluded that the ad encouraged unhealthy body perceptions and was therefore irresponsible.
As a result of this Chromotion Ltd were told that the advert should not appear again in its current form and that it should not be implied that all women should aspire to a certain figure.
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