Eliza Rose Watson's OnlyFans billboards have been cleared. "If a gambling or alcohol company can run their ads, which have far more devastating impacts, why not me?"
ADVERTISEMENTBillboards erected in London showing model Eliza Rose Watson in underwear advertising her OnlyFans account page have been cleared by the UK regulator following complaints that they were inappropriate for children to see.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) received 30 complaints stating that the posters seen in Harrow, Tottenham, Lambeth and Edgware in June and July featured adult content and were inappropriate. One billboard used was located around 450m from a school.
Many believed the ad was overly sexualised and objectified women.
ASA said that although Watson’s clothing was revealing, the image did not feature any nudity, and the pose adopted by her was “no more than mildly sexual."
“While we acknowledged that the image of Ms Watson and reference to OnlyFans might be distasteful to some, we considered that because the ad was not overtly sexual and did not objectify women, we therefore concluded it was unlikely to cause serious or widespread offence.”
The ASA continued: “The ad was shown on several posters throughout London, which was an untargeted medium, and was therefore likely to be seen by a large number of people, including children.”
Environmental activists Global Witness later took over three of the poster sites and transformed them into ‘OilyFans’ billboards, to comment on the pay package of BP chief executive Bernard Looney, whose earnings went from £4.5 million (€5.2 million) to £10 million (€11.6 million) last year.
OnlyFans is an internet content subscription service which features sexual adult content.
Watson, 34, told British tabloid The Sun last month that she earned around £200,000-a-month (approx. €233,000) from selling explicit images on OnlyFans. She stated that she spent around £18,000 (€21,000) on her advertising campaign, which included the UK billboards and two in New York's Times Square.
Commenting on the reaction to the billboards, she said: "If people are offended by my ad, I'm assuming they're also complaining about Ann Summers and Jack Daniels ones. You see ads for gambling, alcohol, sex toys, lingerie, there is no difference between that type of adult-oriented ad and my adult-oriented ad.”
"This is a real business - if a gambling or alcohol company can run their ads, which have far more devastating impacts, why not me?"
The ASA seemed to agree that the posters had not been placed irresponsibly and ruled that no further action was necessary.
