London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Jul 01, 2025

Instagram Halloween fashion advert banned for objectifying women

Instagram Halloween fashion advert banned for objectifying women

An Instagram advert by fashion retailer Babyboo Fashion has been removed for being likely offensive to women.

The paid-for post, which was posted around October last year, featured photos of women in Halloween-themed lingerie and a voiceover that read: ‘Halloween is the one night a year when a girl can dress like a total [bleeped out] and no other girls can say anything about it. The hardcore girls just wear lingerie and some form of animal ears.’

Following a complaint from someone who viewed the ad that it was sexist, objectifying and gave young women a harmful message, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) investigated.

But after Babyboo Fashion failed to respond to the ASA’s inquiries, the advertising regulator said it was concerned about the company’s disregard for the advertising code.

The ASA said: ‘We understood that the bleep censor was to obscure the word ‘s***’, but considered that it would be obvious to viewers what the obscured word was,’ said an ASA spokesperson.

The regulator added that the use of the word in the ad’s context would have most likely been seen as demeaning to women.

The regulator noted that the use of the word in the context of the ad was likely to be seen as demeaning to women.

‘Overall, we considered that the ad was likely to cause serious offence and included a gender stereotype in a way that was likely to cause harm,’ the ASA added.

‘We therefore concluded that the ad was irresponsible and breached the code.’

‘We told Babyboo Fashion to ensure their advertising was socially responsible and did not cause serious or widespread offence by objectifying women.

‘We also told Babyboo Fashion to ensure they did not present gender stereotypes in a way that was likely to cause harm in their future advertising.’

Instagram advertising has been under increased scrutiny in recent months, after influencers have been found failing to declare to users that their posts were paid-for ads.

Zara McDemott, a former Love Island contestant who works with fashion retailer Missguided, uploaded a post of herself in Missguided gym wear with the caption: ‘GUYS!!! Drop 2 of my @missguided edit is HERE!!!! Even more styles, some different fabrics, and some new colours to add to the edit! Check out the Missguided website now!’

But the post was not labelled as an ad – a claim that Missguided accepted, saying the caption was not signed off as a mistake.

Missguided said they did not sign the caption off and accepted it had not been correctly labelled as an ad.

McDermott’s agent also said the omission of ad labels had been a mistake on McDermott’s part and the caption had since been amended.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
Trump Administration Considers Withdrawal of Funding for Hospitals Providing Gender Treatment to Minors
Texas Enacts Law Allowing Gold and Silver Transactions
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
OpenAI Secures Multimillion-Dollar AI Contracts with Pentagon, India, and Grab
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Elon Musk Critiques Senate Budget Proposal Over Job Losses and Strategic Risks
Los Angeles Riots ended with Federal Investigations into Funding
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Education Secretary Announces Overhaul of Complaints System Amid Rising Parental Grievances
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Trump Ends Trade Talks with Canada Over Digital Services Tax
UK Government Softens Welfare Reform Plans Amid Labour Party Rebellion
Labour Faces Rebellion Over Disability Benefit Reforms Ahead of Key Vote
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Host Lavish Wedding in Venice Amid Protests
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
North Korea to Open New Beach Resort to Boost Tourism Economy
UK Labour Party Faces Internal Tensions Over Welfare Reforms
Andrew Cuomo Hints at Potential November Comeback Amid Democratic Primary Results
Curtis Sliwa Champions His Vision for New York City Amid Rising Crime Concerns
Federal Reserve Proposes Changes to Capital Rule Affecting Major Banks
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Trump Escalates Criticism of Media Over Iran Strike Coverage
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
Big Four Accounting Firms Fined in Exam Cheating Scandal
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
Australia's Star Casino Secures $195 Million Rescue Package Amid Challenges
UK to Enhance Nuclear Capabilities with Acquisition of F-35A Fighter Jets
Russian Shadow Payments via Cryptocurrency Reach $9 Billion
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
×