The poster advertising Rihanna's new perfume Rogue has been banned in areas where children are likely to see it. The campaign image, which sees the popstar leaning against a wall with her legs raised resting on a large bottle of the fragrance. The restriction was imposed by the Advertising Standards Agency after receiving a complaint and deeming that it presents the star in a "sexually suggestive" way.
Rihanna was all smiles despite the ban as she stepped out for the fragrance launch on Wednesday
"While we did not consider the image to be overtly sexual, we considered that Rihanna's pose, with her legs raised in the air, was provocative," the statement read. "Because of this, and the fact that Rihanna appeared to be naked except for high heels, we concluded that the ad was sexually suggestive and should have been given a placement restriction to reduce the possibility of it being seen by children." Parlux fragrances, the company that the fragrance was produced on behalf of, argued that Rihanna was known for her provocative persona, which is what they sought to capture in the campaign.
The ad that has been deemed too 'provocative'
They also said that the ad shows Rihanna in a "position of power" and "reflected the advertising norms of the fragrance industry". It's not the first time Rihanna's fragrance campaigns have been censored. In 2011, an ad for her Fleur fragrance had to be photoshopped to make it more modest for audiences in the Middle East. The news of her poster ban comes just days after she stepped out at the CFDA awards wearing an extremely daring dress. The singer turned heads in the sheer maxigrown that, worn with just a flesh-coloured thong underneath, left little to the imagination.