The encyclopedia · Advertising & PR · Marketing decision · 2017
Missguided's Love Island swimwear ad said 'we've got you covered... kind of'
Missguided's Love Island ad showed models in seductive beach poses under 'we've got you covered... kind of.' The ASA ruled it objectified women.
Missguided · 2017
What happened
In 2017, fast-fashion retailer Missguided ran a video-on-demand ad via ITV Hub during Love Island to promote its swimwear line, showing models on a beach in poses including legs apart, a hand run up an inner thigh, and a woman posing on a motorcycle in a thong bikini, under the text: 'If you plan on wearing clothes this summer... we've got you covered... kind of.'
A viewer complained to the UK's Advertising Standards Authority that the ad overly sexualised and objectified women.
The ASA agreed, ruling that even viewers who enjoyed Love Island — a show built around swimwear and romance — would be seriously offended by advertising presenting women as sexual objects, and concluded the ad was irresponsible and likely to cause serious offence.
Why it happened
- Airing during a show already built around bodies and romance didn't lower the bar for the ad itself — the ASA explicitly rejected the idea that a permissive context excuses objectifying content.
- The pun in 'we've got you covered... kind of' signals the ad knew exactly how little the swimwear covered — the joke depended on the sexualisation being the point, not an accident.
- One complaint was enough to trigger the ruling — a single viewer's objection carries the same regulatory weight as a mass campaign, easy to underestimate when chasing engagement.
The lesson
Missguided's Love Island ad leaned into sexualised swimwear poses with a knowing pun. The ASA ruled the show's tone didn't excuse the ad, and banned it.
Aftermath
The ad was banned from running again in its current form; Missguided continued running swimwear campaigns under closer scrutiny from the regulator.
Sources
- Missguided Love Island ad banned for objectifying women — The Drum
- Missguided advert banned for objectifying women — Fashion United
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