Temu has had five of its adverts banned in the UK for being sexually graphic, for both sexualising a child and objectifying women.
The ecommerce giant was warned about presenting adults as “stereotypical sexual objects” or portraying those under 18 in a sexual manner in the future, after multiple adverts showed “disembodied images of the women wearing tight and revealing clothing”.
One advert, which was shown on a regional newspaper website, featured a girl aged between eight and 11 wearing a bikini in a pose described by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) as “quite adult for a girl of her age”.
The image was shown next to adverts for household items including balloon ties, a facial roller and a jockstrap.
The ASA claimed the products “could have been interpreted as sexual in nature” as it said the balloon ties and facial roller were “phallic” while the foot massager “could also have been understood in the same way”.
Meanwhile, the ASA said the jockstrap’s “accentuated crotch” appeared to be “sexual, rather than for utility”.
The media company also said the child’s pose with the adverts it was shown by had “the effect of portraying a child in a sexual way and was irresponsible”.
Three other adverts by the retailer were criticised for showing women wearing tight clothing which “accentuated their body shape” while not showing their faces in full.
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Temu claimed the images of the models without faces were not intended to objectify women, arguing that other retail platforms used similar images.
The website also insisted the photos of the other items showed accurate representations of the products being sold.
Temu added that the photo of the child violated its marketing policy and would not be shown again.
The ASA said it had told the retailer that under 18s should not be portrayed in a sexual way and that adverts should be responsibly targetted.
It also told Temu to ensure its future adverts “were “prepared with a sense of responsibility to consumers and to society”.
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