A 'sexist' advertisement that appeared in a glossy car magazine has been banned for objectifying women.
The 'suggestive' ad featured an image of the lower half of a woman's body wearing a black fitted mini-dress and bright pink high heels positioned underneath a car, surrounded by tools and a handbag.
The plug for a garage, which appeared in the 911 and Porsche World Magazine in February, was captioned: 'Attractive Servicing'.
But watchdogs launched a probe after a single complaint that said the ad was 'offensive and irresponsible' because it was 'degrading and sexist' towards women.
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They concluded that although the ad was not 'sexually explicit', by using a 'suggestive' image that bore 'no relevance' to the advertised product, the ad objectified women and was likely to cause 'serious offence' to some people.
Leeds-based garage firm Strasse claimed that the model in the ad was 'fully clothed' in leggings and a tunic and was 'empowered' by the addition of power tools.
The firm said the 'attractive servicing' referred to in the ad was in relation to their attractive prices compared to those of their competitors.
Bosses at Strasse didn't consider that the ad contained anything that was likely to cause widespread offence on the grounds of sex. They said that they had not received any complaints about the ad.
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The magazine publisher, CH Publications Ltd, stated that the ad showed a fully clothed model working beneath a Porsche, who was presumed to be a female, although it was not entirely clear.
The publisher said there was no nakedness and the model's pose depicted the 'typical position' of anyone working beneath their car.
It also claimed the ad was designed to be a 'clever play' on the attractive rates offered by Strasse.
But the complaint was upheld by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) which found that it breached rules regarding both social responsibility plus harm and offence.
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An ASA spokesman said: "We noted the model's head was obscured and the text 'attractive servicing' appeared across her crotch and legs. The model's waist and lower half appeared from beneath the car, with her legs placed apart.
"Because of the positioning of her bent leg, her skirt was pulled up to reveal her upper thigh and crotch, albeit in opaque black tights. We considered that because the model's face was not shown, the lower half of her body became the main focus of the ad.
"We considered the phrase 'attractive servicing' would be understood to be a double entendre, implying the woman featured in the ad was the 'attractive' part of the servicing, and considered this was likely to be viewed as demeaning towards women.
"We considered that although the image was only mildly sexual in nature, when combined with the phrase 'attractive servicing' it had the effect of objectifying women by using a woman's physical features to draw attention to the ad.
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"We concluded the ad was not sexually explicit, but by using a suggestive image that bore no relevance to the advertised product, the ad objectified women and was likely to cause serious offence to some people."
He added: "The ad must not appear in its current form. We told Strasse (UK) Ltd to ensure their advertising was socially responsible and did not cause serious offence by objectifying women."
Featured Image Credit: SWNS