The Adidas Advert Showing Bare Breasts Shouldn’t Be Banned – It Should Be Celebrated

An Adidas advert that showed the bare breasts of 20 women of various skin colours, shapes and sizes has been banned for explicit nudity. The campaign, intended to highlight the diversity in the Adidas sports bra range, stated ‘We believe women’s breasts in all shapes and sizes deserve support and comfort. Which is why our new sports bra range contains 43 styles, so everyone can find the right fit for them.’

However, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled in support of complaints that stated the ads were gratuitous and objectified women by ‘sexualising them and reducing them to body parts’ . Some complaints had also noted that the adverts were inappropriate for display where they could be seen by children.

‘Although we did not consider that the way the women were portrayed was sexually explicit or objectified them, we considered that the depiction of naked breasts was likely to be seen as explicit nudity,’ the ASA stated in their assessment. ‘As the ads contained explicit nudity, we considered that they required careful targeting to avoid causing offence to those who viewed them. The ads must not appear again in the forms complained of. We told Adidas UK Ltd to ensure their ads did not cause offence and were targeted responsibly.’

Now, ‘Adidas sports bras bare breasts ad’ is a trending search term on Google as people seek to view the original campaign. And many of those familiar with the original advert find it hard to believe that it could be banned. Because what’s wrong with seeing bare breasts? We see men’s chests and nipples on display all the time. Frankly, this is one of the few occasions in advertising and popular culture in general that we’re seeing bare breasts in a non-sexual setting.

But that’s what some don’t seem to get, isn’t it? That women’s breasts are not inherently sexual. In reality, this advert was entirely non-sexual and frankly, allowed women – young and old – to feel more comfortable with the huge variety of shapes and sizes breasts come in. It was refreshing to see so many different displays of a women’s bodies in such a context, not the overtly sexual, often unnatural, visions we're usually subjected to in popular culture.

Sure, children might see the images – but it’s nothing they haven’t seen before in their own homes since birth. Why would this type of non-sexual nudity make them uncomfortable? We should be teaching children that all different types of bodies are normal, that women are not merely objects to sexualise, that our bodies should not shrouded in shame. This advert should be celebrated, not banned.