Ad Standards Gives Green Light To Semi-Naked Folk In iSelect Ads

The iSelect ads that feature two mature men in speedos diving into a pool, and a woman who magically morphs her husband into an oiled up Barbarian lover, have been given the thumbs up from Ad Standards despite a flurry of complaints.

The complaints claimed the ads breached the codes surrounding sex, sexuality and nudity, in particular pertaining to Geoff and his brother in swimming attire and Georgie’s gladiator-like husband covered only by an animal skin cloth.

You can see both ads here:

“The ad is inappropriate for that time slot: 2 semi-naked men jumped from platform to the pool. They are not suitable for kids,” said one complainant about the first ad.

The second ad’s complaint looked like this: “The ad is inappropriate for that time slot. A woman double tapping a TV and the TV worked, then she does the same thing but double taps the fish tank and then she double taps the wall and a guy’s couch starts to shake, then she taps the wall and then he gets naked on the couch! They are not suitable for kids.”

We suspect it’s the same person complaining about both ads.

Regarding Geoff the diver who “always gets it right”, the ASB considered that “the men’s presentation in their swimwear throughout the advertisement was entirely appropriate for a scene at a pool and was not sexualised”.

The Board also noted that at the end of the advertisement the man stands next to the iselect logo in his swimwear and “jiggles his hips” but considered that this “was seen from a distance and the impact was therefore minimal”.

For Georgie and her vibrating bed/suddenly very fit, naked husband, the Board noted the advertiser’s response that at no stage does the husband get completely naked, but rather he is “comically depicted as a ‘barbarian’ in the style of Conan the Barbarian”.

The report claimed, “The Board considered that the advertisement shows a series of fantasies, one of which is the final scene with her husband where she is seen to have not replaced her husband with another character but ‘improved him’ for the purpose of the fantasy.

“The Board noted that this is a W rated advertisement which means it cannot be shown during or adjacent to programming, specifically aimed at children, that has a P or C rating.

“The Board considered the advertisement to be light hearted and did treat the issue of sex, sexuality and nudity with sensitivity to the relevant audience.”

Both cases were subsequently dismissed.

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