British retailer Harvey Nichols recently found itself in legal hot water regarding the licentiousness of a television promo they released portraying women in various stages of a proverbial “walk of shame.” Four viewers lodged formal claims against the ad with the U.K.’s Advertising Standard Authority (ASA), decrying what they saw as a reinforcement of negative stereotypes of women. One complainant went so far as to assert that an image of a woman wearing ripped tights “implied sexual violence.”

Take a look at the commercial in question and decide for yourself:

The ASA ruled the “walk of shame” not shameful, dismissing the four complaints levied against Harvey Nichols, and calling to attention the transparency of the clothing manufacturer’s incredulous defense, which more or less amounted to “What?! We didn’t mean to insinuate that these women were returning home from one night stands – where on EARTH would you get that idea?!”

According to the ASA’s report, a spokesperson for the retailer admitted that the ad’s intent was to “show that women could also do the ‘Stride of Pride,’ which was how men were popularly referred to in the same situation.”

Stride of pride, indeed.

[The Telegraph]

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