Whilst researching into the branding of The Body Shop for my final major project! (scary) I came across this great website www.bestrejectedadvertising.com that lists various banned advertising campaigns and why they where seen as so offensive. In the case of the The Body Shop advert above I find the given reasons slightly ludicrous:
'Mattel sent The Body Shop a cease-and-desist order, demanding to pull the self-esteem posters featuring Ruby - a rubenesque anti-Barbie - from American shop windows, because she was insulting to the real Barbie. Then, in Hong Kong, posters of Ruby were banned on the Mass Transit Railway because authorities said that in her nude (albeit nippleless and pubic-hair-free) condition, she would offend passengers. One shop in the US was forced to take down a Ruby poster after a mall patron said his daughter had been traumatized by seeing it.'
Why shouldn't there be a larger sized Barbie? there where no complains when yet another blonde stick thin clone in the form of Cindy came along. Also I am slightly concerned of how a plastic doll can be classed as 'nude' personally 'Ruby' reminds me of some of the greatest historical painting we have seen.
www.bestrejectedadvertising.com
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