'Gratuitously sexual' American Apparel adverts banned

The clothing brand, which ran into similar issues with campaigns in 2009 and earlier this year, said the ads were "standard practice" across the industry in answer to two separate complaints about racy adverts - including some female nudity.

The first probe was triggered by a mother who attempted to look at the website with her 12-year-old daughter. She said that more than 20 pictures in the stockings and hosiery section were "unnecessarily sexual" and "inappropriate" for a website that could be seen by children.

Following an investigation, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) found that three of the 23 images - some of which included naked breasts and bottoms - were in breach of rules concerning "responsible advertising" plus "harm and offence".

One of the photographs found to breach the rules was of a woman wearing high denier tights but nothing else, bending forwards with her back to the camera. Another was of a woman wearing white tights but nothing else, curled up on a sofa, facing the camera. One of her breasts was visible.

The third was of two women with their backs to the camera wearing black, cut-out tights with the bottoms exposed. Both women had turned their heads to face the camera.

American Apparel claimed it was standard practice to market hosiery, intimates or lingerie in the way done on the company’s website. The firm supplied links to other retailers' websites which they considered portrayed similar products in similar ways, and said that children could access any website.

However, the ASA found that the poses of the women in some of the photos were "sexually suggestive and gratuitous in an ad for hosiery" and "inappropriate" in a hosiery ad on a website that could be seen by children, while another was "submissive and sexually suggestive" and the third "flirtatious and sexually suggestive".

The second complaint was triggered by photos of "young-looking women" modelling a shirt in different colours in which their breasts were visible through the material.

A parent complained that the pictures were "irresponsible" because they appeared to show young girls whose poses were "overtly sexual" and, therefore, not suitable to be displayed on a website which could be viewed by children.

American Apparel claimed the ads were "completely decent" and were a "fair representation" of their product line.

However, the ASA found them to also breach rules regarding "responsible advertising" plus "harm and offence".

An ASA spokesman said: "We considered the model looked under the age of 16.

"We acknowledged that her poses were not overtly sexual but, because her breasts were visible through her shirt, we considered the images could be seen to sexualise a model who appeared to be a child. We concluded the images were inappropriate and irresponsible.”