Sophie Dahl’s Nude YSL Opium Campaign Is Eighth Most Complained-About Ad
Can't win 'em all, it seems.
While Sophie Dahl's nude 2000 campaign for YSL Opium stands out as one of the most iconic in recent memory, a flurry of complaints has branded it as one of the most offensive ads of the last 50 years, the Telegraph reports.
The racy ad has been named the eighth most complained-about ad in a new survey conducted by Britain's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) thanks to a total of 948 complaints that it was too sexually suggestive, which resulted in it being pulled from billboards.
Photographed by Steven Meisel and overseen by then-Yves Saint Laurent creative director Tom Ford, the fragrance campaign sees a flame-haired Dahl striking a suggestive pose in nothing but strappy heels and opulent jewelry, one hand clutching her bare breast.
"I think the photograph is beautiful," Dahl has said of the controversial image. "It was seen as being anti-women, when in fact I think it is very empowering to women."
It's not the only time an Opium ad has run afoul of the ASA; last year a Belle d'Opium commercial was banned for allegedly simulating drug use. Here's hoping the current ad starring Emily Blunt and a leopard stays out of trouble.
