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Adidas’s new ad campaign has sparked controversy – but anything that normalises nipples is OK with me | Arwa Mahdawi
The sportswear brand is using 25 pairs of breasts to market its new range of bras. It’s a shameless attention grab and I’m all in favour
‘If in doubt, get the breasts out.” That is not an official advertising slogan, but it might as well be. Cleavage has always been the uninspired ad man’s best friend. Flogging fast food? Show a bunch of busty models eating burgers in bikinis. Hawking ice-cream? Film a slow-motion shot of it dripping down a woman’s chest. Selling cars? Boobs. Selling home insurance? More boobs. You get the idea; you would have to be a boob not to.
While breasts are not exactly unusual in adverts, Adidas’s new marketing campaign for its expanded range of sports bras takes things to the extreme. Instead of just showing a bit of cleavage, the advert features 25 pairs of bare breasts. Some are scarred; some are small; some are saggy; all of them are unapologetically uncovered. Accompanying the nudity are layers of predictable PR guff about how Adidas wants to celebrate inclusivity and showcase the many varieties of modern mammaries etc etc. Frankly, I would have respected the company a lot more if it just said: it is not that deep – we know this is guaranteed to get people talking, which means our brand name will worm its way into your unconscious and hopefully translate into a sales boost for our bras.
Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian columnist
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