TfL Takes Down 'Creepy' Naked Attraction Bus Adverts After Backlash
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Featured Image Credit: Tracy King/@tkingdot
Transport for London (TfL) has announced today it will remove adverts from its buses promoting the Channel 4 programme Naked Attraction after being branded “creepy.”
The advert is on a black background with phrases written in white and arrows pointing at the passengers sitting on the top deck.
It appears to identify individual bus passengers as “loves Naked Attraction”, “hates Naked Attraction” and “loves being naked”.
A photograph of the advert was captured and shared on Twitter by writer Tracy King, who tweeted: “What the hell is this creepy bus ad? You can’t just label non-consenting passengers like that. Does Channel 4 not know how many sexual assaults take place on buses?”
A 2020 poll by YouGov suggested that more than half of women using public transport in London had been harassed.
She added: “I can’t imagine what the response could possibly be here. ‘If you don’t like it don’t get on the bus’? ‘Don’t sit on the top deck then’, what is the proposal for passengers to opt out of this, @channel4 @TfL?”
Social media users called the adverts “creepy” and “intrusive.” Other Twitter users said they had seen the advert in other cities across the UK, including Birmingham, Leicester and Manchester.
One man tweeted a picture of the bus, adding: "Seen from my flat window in Leicester this morning, I had a genuine WTF moment. The first two are cheesy enough, But the "loves being naked" tagline is a serious red flag."
Naked Attraction is a popular dating show with a twist. It involves contestants one participant views six potential dates in the nude before taking their own clothes off at the end once they have found their match.
Channel 4 said in a statement: “It was not our intention to cause offence and we apologise if it has done so.”
Transport for London said: "We have reviewed the ad campaign and decided that it should not continue to run on our bus network. It will be removed as soon as practicable."
Topics: News, TV And Film, Naked Attraction