Fashion label I Love Ugly says the backlash against its jewellery ad campaign proves it is "onto something good". Photo: I Love Ugly
A new advertising campaign by a New Zealand men’s fashion label is being slammed on social media for being “sexist” and “misogynistic”.
I Love Ugly released a lookbook on Tuesday showcasing their new range of men’s rings, which features images of a clothed man with his hands placed on various parts of a naked woman’s body.
In one of the pictures, a naked woman sits with her legs open while a man's hand, featuring the I Love Ugly rings, covers her private parts.
The company described their motivation on Facebook saying that since jewellery makes “a lot of males uneasy” and tried to create something that men could “potentially see themselves wearing”.
But social media erupted with criticism with many voicing their disgust and disappointment at the company’s decision to run the pictures.
I Love Ugly responded to the cristim on Twitter, saying they’d had “mixed reviews” of the campaign and that the backlash proved it was "onto something good".
A few stood behind the fashion label, saying the images were meant to showcase women’s beauty. Another supporter urged the company: “stick to your guns”.
The Auckland-based label launched in 2011 and describe themselves as “like-minded individuals” who “value all human aspirations and endeavours with integrity, intellect and creative experimentation”.
While I Love Ugly appeared unlikely to cave to pressure to pull the controversial campaign, some have already pointed to possible breaches in advertising standards.