People are calling for this 'sexist' and 'degrading' advert to be removed
Yves Saint Laurent (YSL) has been accused of "degrading" women and sexism in its latest advertising campaign in France.
The image of a model in a leotard and roller skates bent over a stool has caused an outcry on social media, with many calling for the ad to be removed. A second campaign image shows a reclining woman wearing fishnet tights with her legs open.
People have taken to Twitter to share their thoughts on the offending add using the hashtag #YSLRetireTaPubDegradante (#YSLRemoveYourDegradingAd). Some have been comparing images of previous YSL adverts with the current campaign. "YSL in 1967 and today. Equality is making progress, would you say? Anorexia, submission and humiliation," read one tweet.
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"50 years separate these photos. Woman according to YSL 1967 - 2017," read another tweet.
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"Are you serious at YSL? No one is ashamed to release this?" read another tweet.
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"Hi YSL, what's up with this completely degrading campaign?" wrote one person on Twitter.
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"Shame on you," wrote another.
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An anti-sexism group has been placing stickers emblazoned with the word "sexiste" over the ads, dubbing the campaign an "incitement to rape".
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"This is not a woman, this is a sexual victim," read one tweet posted by the group.
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YSL did not immediately respond to Mashable's request for comment.
Topics Advertising
Rachel Thompson is the Features Editor at Mashable. Rachel's second non-fiction book The Love Fix: Reclaiming Intimacy in a Disconnected World is out now, published by Penguin Random House in Jan. 2025. The Love Fix explores why dating feels so hard right now, why we experience difficult emotions in the realm of love, and how we can change our dating culture for the better.
A leading sex and dating writer in the UK, Rachel has written for GQ, The Guardian, The Sunday Times Style, The Telegraph, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Stylist, ELLE, The i Paper, Refinery29, and many more.
Rachel's first book Rough: How Violence Has Found Its Way Into the Bedroom And What We Can Do About It, a non-fiction investigation into sexual violence was published by Penguin Random House in 2021.
