Backlash over Honey Birdette’s Advertising Campaign

For 10 years, the creator of Honey Birdette Eloise Monaghan has been battling people who complain about the popular lingerie brand’s ads, and this time is no different.

Earlier this week, the company launched an advertising campaign for its new line “Office Party” which depicts models dressed in lingerie dancing in an office and drinking champagne while surrounded predominantly by suited-up businessmen.

Australia’s Advertising Standards Bureau confirmed there had been some objection to the advertising campaign, saying the agency had received “a few” complaints about posters in store windows. An ASB spokeswoman said the bureau had heard no complaints about the label’s TV ads or its Facebook campaign.

The video for the new Honey Birdette line has received a number of negative comments on Facebook, all of which were written by women.

“This ad is terrible. Who thought it was a bright idea to further sexualise women in the workplace? Meanwhile fully dressed men pour champagne and gaze at their female colleagues?” one woman wrote.

Another woman labelled it “pathetic”.

“We’re not living in the Middle East. We are a lingerie company and therefore we have models that are dressed in lingerie. We want to empower women and should be embracing female sexuality and their bodies. It blows my mind that this could be a narrative in 2017,” Ms Monaghan said.

Ms Monaghan said the backlash coming solely from other women was “sad”.

“Unfortunately it’s women attacking women because they look fabulous. I don’t think it should be that way but sadly it is,” she said.

“The consistent message is if the guys have their nipples out it’s totally fine but women are always held to completely different standards,” she said.

The company claimed the campaign had led to a spike in sales, making the Office Party line second only to the release of their Issy Black lingerie line which sold 2,500 units in three hours.