Underwear image 'offensive to Orthodox Jews'

A Calvin Klein poster advertising lingerie sparked complaint after it was deemed "offensive" to a large Orthodox Jewish population in north London.

The advert featured five pictures of a model wearing a bra and briefs. Text stated: "Introducing Naked Glamour Calvin Klein Underwear".

An ultra-Orthodox Jew claimed the poster was objectionable to others of the same community in Stamford Hill, whose beliefs prohibit them from viewing images of women in lingerie.

The complainant also branded the designer label "irresponsible" for displaying the advertisement on the side of buses where it could be seen by children.

But the concerns were rejected by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

The watchdog accepted the poster could be construed as "mildly sexual" for featuring underwear that "appeared sheer" and it acknowledged people with "strongly held religious views" could find the ad distasteful.

However, it concluded: "We did not consider that the ad was likely to cause widespread offence or serious offence to those with religious views."

It noted the poses of the model were "natural" and said the nature of the product meant viewers were "less likely to regard the ad as gratuitous or offensive".

It added: "We did not consider that the images were overtly sexual, and considered that the ad was acceptable for use in outdoor media likely to be seen by children. We therefore concluded that the ad was not socially irresponsible."

Calvin Klein said it believed the poster, which appeared in November, was neither sexually suggestive or overtly sexual.