Many people don't understand why this Lane Bryant body-positive commercial was rejected by NBC and ABC

A body-positive Lane Bryant commercial is causing a minor uproar after TV networks deemed it too risqué to air.

The 30-second spot, entitled "This Body," features plus-sized models in scant clothing -- or none at all -- talking about the pride they take in their bodies, and in one case, breast-feeding a baby. 

Among its stars is Ashley Graham, who was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue this year.

A spokesperson for Lane Bryant said the ad has been rejected "out of hand" by ABC and NBC.

NBC said in a statement provided to Mashable that the network did not reject the ad but instead asked the company for "minor edits" so that the commercial would meet its decency standards. ABC declined to comment on the decision.

"As part of the normal advertising standards process, we reviewed a rough cut of the ad and asked for minor edits to comply with broadcast indecency guidelines," an NBC rep said. "The ad was not rejected and we welcome the updated creative." 

Lane Bryant claims the networks did not specify the offending parts of the ad. The NBC rep wouldn't comment further on why the commercial was considered indecent.

But that didn't stop thousands of Internet users from watching the ad on the brand's Facebook page and flooding it with supportive messages. As of Friday afternoon, the video had racked up nearly 1 million views, more than 36,000 reactions and 3,000 comments.

People also spoke out against the networks' decision on Twitter with the hashtag #ThisBody.  

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While the brand was denied the opportunity to reach millions of network TV viewers, the "banned" status certainly seems to be a boon for its publicity. 

Lane Bryant has capitalized on the edginess of it all -- a rare look for the staid plus-sized clothing retailer -- by billing the video as the commercial "the networks didn't want you to see" on social media.

A Lane Bryant spokesperson said the campaign is meant to be a fun way to "celebrate and honor women of all shapes and sizes." 

The retailer has no plans to make the ad more TV-friendly, but will continue to push the video through its social media channels.

"What is too much for some does not hold true for others," a Lane Bryant spokesperson said in a statement. "All women should be celebrated and feel empowered to express themselves as they see fit. We want her to know she can attract as much media attention, look just as striking as any woman, and decide what beautiful means to her."

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