Sacre bleu! Sexy Car Ad Banned

The highlight included a very racy burlesque show with scantily clad dancers... very ooh-la-la.

In August 2013, despite receiving 3.5-million views on YouTube, advertising watchdogs have banned the advert claiming that it is "sexist and objectifies women."
The Advertising Standards Authority, who were alerted by ONE complaint, banned the advert after rejecting the Renault’s contention that it was a parody of a typically French Moulin Rouge-style cabaret scene.

The ASA said: “We were concerned that the ad featured a number of shots of the women's breasts and bottoms, in which their heads were obscured and which we considered invited viewers to view the women as sexual objects.

“We further considered that the choreography, dress and facial expressions of the dancers were sexually provocative and that the overall impression given was not necessarily that of a parody of a cabaret show such as the Moulin Rouge, particularly as the women were seen to approach the car and gyrate around it, rather than merely performing in front of it.”

"We considered that the ad objectified the dancers by portraying them as sexual objects and that it was therefore likely to cause serious or widespread offence."

The female-orientated advert has since received no complaints and the ASA confirmed that it will be allowed to be aired.

The ASA said: “The ASA noted that Renault felt the female dancers were just one of the iconic Parisian scenes featured in the ad, which was intended to be a light-hearted parody.

“However, we considered that the length of the scene in question, along with the change in the music and the use of slow motion shots, meant it had a different tone to the rest of the ad."

Surely, this is a double-standard?

Renault claimed its ad wasn’t sexist but would comply with the watchdog’s decision and “censor” the offending scenes.