Dating app advert starring Ulrika Jonsson banned for objectifying women
An advert for an over-50s dating app starring Swedish TV personality Ulrika Jonsson has been banned over concerns it was offensive and objectified women.
The Christmas campaign for mature dating service Lumen showed 52-year-old Jonsson in a red nightie and stockings, and was accompanied by the tagline “Be my stocking filler”.
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Lumen submitted the ad to Transport for London’s (TfL) advertising agent Global, but it was rejected.
In an email from Global, first reported by the Evening Standard, the media giant quoted feedback from regulatory body the Committee of Advertising Practice, which warned the ad could cause offence.
“We think that the image and the tagline ‘Be my stocking filler’ are likely to be considered problematic in out-of-home advertising as this could cause offence due to the sexual connotations, along with the potential of being seen to objectify women,” it wrote.
Jonsson, a former Gladiators and Shooting Stars presenter, recently split from her third husband and has since become the face of Lumen’s Christmas campaign.
The Swedish star, who has previously dated England footballer Stan Collymore and England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson, also appeared on dating show First Dates earlier this year.
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A TfL spokesperson said: “Our advertising agent, who reviews every advertisement against our advertising policy, deemed parts of Lumen’s advertising campaign not to be compliant following advice from the Committee of Advertising Practice.
“In all cases where an advertisement is deemed not to be compliant, we are open to working with brands on their campaigns so that they meet the requirements of our policy and can run on our network.”