Loblaw may put a controversial flyer for its Joe Fresh clothing line back into market after questions from an Ottawa newspaper prompted the retail giant to pull it from countertops across Canada last week.
In an April 3 article headlined “Sexualized ads signal disturbing trend,” Ottawa Citizen columnist Kelly Egan weighed in on the four-page colour “Underthings” flyer that features a young woman sitting on a stool wearing only a black bra and panty set.
“It is not that the photos are obscene or offensive. Many, no doubt, will find them beautiful,” he wrote.
“It is more a matter of where we appear to have arrived in terms of sexifying teenage girls in mainstream advertising by mainstream retailers.”
“It is not an ad for Victoria’s Secret or La Senza,” he continued. “This is our leading grocery store chain. Its television face is the boyish-looking Galen Weston Jr., a man who projects a wholesome image, coupled with the idea that shopping wisely is a virtue.”
Egan went on to question the model’s age and weight, and suggested the ad went too far because, he concluded, the young model’s pose and tousled air were meant to construe she had just had sex.
“I think the flyer crossed whatever line of propriety is left. There are many ways to portray teenagers wearing underwear. Must we pose them as though they’ve just been, you know, doing the Mambo-Wambo?”
The flyer was pulled from the Joe section of over 250 stores across Canada last week, said Elizabeth Margles, vice-president, marketing of Joe Fresh Style at Loblaw Companies Limited.
However after receiving several letters of support Joe Fresh is considering reversing its decision, she said.
“We stand by [the flyer],” said Margles. “We think the photography is beautiful, and we have definitely seen a positive reflection in our sales since the flier went out.”
“Ironically, the Citizen ran the picture and… great—no pun intended—but more exposure for us,” she added. “It’s kind of funny to me, you [the Citizen] claim it’s disturbing and yet you’re showing it.”
Margles, who was present for the photo shoot, said that all of Joe’s models are over 21. The “Underthings” flyer, which was sent to homes across Canada last week, was the first created for the Joe Fresh Intimates line.
Loblaw received only a few complaints prior to the article, which the company was prepared for, said Margles.
“Whenever you show lingerie you’re always going to have a vocal minority that would prefer you would show it on a hanger,” she said. “We like to show our customers what our product looks like, so that’s why we did it.”
Advertising Standards Canada (ASC), the ad industry’s self-regulatory body of which Loblaw is a member, wouldn’t say whether it had received any complaints about the ads.
However, Danielle Lefrancois, communication manager of ASC’s Montreal office, said that when the ASC receives complaints about one of its members, the member often pulls the ad after being notified.
As of press time, the ASC has not spoken with Loblaw about the ad, said Lefrancois.
“Ironically what this led to was an indirect way of measuring exactly how read our fliers and look books are,” said Margles. “Now we know people see them, read them and bring them into the store.”
Joe Fresh launched just over two years ago with clothing for men and women. Last year, it added a children’s line, lingerie and, more recently, Joe Fresh Beauty, a cosmetic collection fashioned after high-end beauty lines.
