Double Standard for Plus-Size Brand

Lane Bryant just launched a campaign for Cacique, its line of sexy lingerie billed as “so not what Mom would wear.” Its first spot (above) was set to air during Dancing with the Stars this week, but was pulled by ABC at the eleventh hour.

The Disney-owned network said it showed too much cleavage, an insider at Lane Bryant told the New York Post: "The cleavage of the plus-size models, they said, was excessive, and we don't think that's the case. It certainly appears to be discrimination against full-sized women."

ABC was joined by Fox in a boycott of the ad on American Idol, ostensibly for the same excessive cleavage reason.

Apparently, however, Fox had no problems airing Victoria's Secret ads featuring rail-thin models such as Miranda Kerr, as Lane Bryant fumed on its official blog.

When Lane Bryant learned that Fox’s Idol would air the skinny underwear ad, they complained to the network, citing a double standard.

Fox recanted and agreed to run the Cacique ad during American Idol. Too little too late, ABC also subsequently posted the ad deemed "too sexy for TV" on their website.

The back-story would be worthy of a sitcom (Ugly Betty, come back!) if it didn't smack of a double standard.

Both Fox and ABC saw Lane Bryant's Cacique spot storyboards in March. Fox asked for changes: less flesh and less risqué. Indeed, Fox requested that the plus-size lingerie ad only show the model's face, which is a rather curious way to sell underwear.

This comment from a reader using the screen-name MI 6 on the New York Post's online article caught our attention:

“I am old enough to remember a London model called 'Twiggy' who the fashionistas tried to exemplify as the ideal woman back in the 1960's. She was so skinny and anorexic looking, one could not help but wonder what in the hell were they thinking. This Lane Bryant lady is much more appealing than some bag of bones.”

The age-old battle between women's body image and definition of beauty continues unabated (sadly), it seems. Even the YouTube clip above makes users proclaim they're old enough to watch it. Let us know what you think: is this spot NSFW ... or prime-time TV?