New Zealand jewellery company I Love Ugly has been receiving a lot of backlash online because of the way its latest campaign represents women.
The shots show clothed men covering nude female bodies with their hands while showing off the brand’s latest range of rings. The hands are positioned everywhere, from a woman’s bum to her breasts and lady garden, prompting viewers to call the shoot “sexist”, “beyond gross” and “creepy”.
“Jewellery is one of those things you either love or hate on a man,” I Love Ugly’s Facebook post, featuring one of the images, read. “We tried our best to rework something that makes a lot of males a little uneasy and turn it into something the dubious could potentially see themselves wearing.”
Jewellery is one of those things you either love or hate on a man. We tried our best to rework something that makes a...
Posted by I Love Ugly on Wednesday, 2 December 2015
The company attempted to redeem itself with a modified version of the campaign, featuring a woman's hands over a male's unclothed torso, which was quickly criticised as "missing the point", with one Facebook user writing, "The emergency piss-take squad has arrived to combat the misogyny." I Love Ugly has identified the reaction as a "kerfuffle" and delayed the launch of its new eyewear collection to "let that storm pass over".
