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PHOTO: Online Retailer Inadvertently Features Nude Man In Kids Ad

Nudity in fashion advertising is nothing new, but we have to wonder what crazy chain of circumstances would lead to a brand feature a grown man’s full Monty in an image designed to sell a children’s T-shirt. That’s what happened to La Redoute, a French retailer that sells everything from women’s underwear to men’s electric razors.

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Stylist UK reports that the image has stirred up its fair share of controversy in France — and with good reason. The photo, found on La Redoute’s e-commerce site, features four annoyingly happy looking children frolicking on the beach wearing fun (if grammatically incorrect) T-shirts. But way off in the distance behind them is a man wearing absolutely nothing. This is creepy on a number of levels — in the photo, this naked man’s presence invalidates all that childlike joy the children are experiencing.

But then you have to step back a level. How did this man get here in the first place? Did La Redoute really do a children’s photoshooot on a beach where people are allowed to roam around naked? Odds are, if there was one naked guy on that beach, there were probably more.

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The French Twittersphere has exploded in anger over the image — we don’t speak French, but the language of righteous indignation is universal. One angry tweeter described the affair as a “SCANDALE!” We’re inclined to agree with that assessment. Because even if a naked man accidentally slips into the back of your photo, someone in your ad department would have to notice before it went online — there was probably even time for someone in La Redoute’s creative department to erase this guy altogether with Photoshop.

But instead, we got full frontal male nudity in a children’s clothing ad. Which is something we shouldn’t ever have to see.



[Stylist UK]



  • Anonymous

    Yeah, nothing like getting angry at naked people. I mean, children that age have no idea they have the same genitals, so it’s better to just hide it from them. Get the F over it people. Stop hiding life from children. And you wonder why they’re growing up to be bigger idiots than their parents?

  • Anonymous

    I’m calling fake, it appears the guy’s been photoshopped into the picture.  Unless the kids are laughing because a naked guy is behind them.

  • Anonymous

    Odds are if this was ANYWHERE except the prudish and childish United States of America, there could have easily been entire NUDE FAMILIES at the beach. Odds are WE the USA is still so young that we see nudity and scream SEX. LOL.. what a bunch of kids. I’ve been to Berlin and am always pleased by topless women in general public areas and by the ease of full nudity at the beach. SURE the ad is CREEPY and a little mature for Americans, but we have the right to ignore it and allow the Europeans to understand that to earn American cash you must create safe ads for sick minds.

  • Anonymous

    Umm the add is in France, that is where it seems to be stirring up the controversy. Obviously you have issues with American culture. But just as you have been to berlin for german titties, I have been to Tijuana where I saw a show featuring a donkey, a woman and whole lot of baby oil. I was not too disturbed, but that doesn’t mean it would be appropriate to use in an add for childrens clothes. Unless the clothing line was based in Alabama.

  • Anonymous

    For someone who has seen it all, I hardly understand the fracas, especially if you consider it’s openly displayed behavior on most European beaches (where I assume the ad was directed for, and forget German beaches were it’s rampant nudism) nor was there any sexual engagement of any sorts. In other words it must be a slow day in the media world….

    http://scallywagandvagabond.com/2012/01/oops-mans-peen-somehow-turns-up-in-children-clothing-line-ad/

  • Anonymous

    Was that Anthony Weiner?

  • Anonymous

    Boy, that Anthony Weiner really gets around.

  • Anonymous

    Alabama would be more tolerant?

  • Anonymous

    Not likely Weiner’s wiener, the dude in the photo’s not circumcised.

  • Anonymous

    Why should Anthony Weiner be left out of a children’s ad? Hasn’t he suffered enough?

  • Anonymous

    Don’t get me started on circumcision, the most idiotic custom in the history of mankind.

  • Anonymous

    It’s a French Advert- why are they so outraged? Taken with a different perspective how many of us would even know the name of this clothing brand without the exposure they are receiving after this obviously provocative and dare I say, intentional placement of a naked man in the ad?

    How many clicks on google do you this has generated and how many countries are featuring it on the WWW as news? I would say the ad is a complete marketing success and I may even buy the green swim trunks for my son.

  • Anonymous

    photoshopped.  La Redoute just wanted to get headlines.  So very Sarah Palin of them!

  • Anonymous

    There is no scandal in France over this … This is a made up story to fill AMERICAN gossip pages

  • Anonymous

    Agreed!

  • Anonymous

    You circumcised my effort to start an argument.

  • Anonymous

    It is my understanding that France, among other European countries (besides England) are more open-minded about sexuality.  Unlike the sexually repressed people here.  Get a life, why don’t you? Sex relieves all tension.  Maybe if you got laid more often, you wouldn’t have time to talk about this. LOL!!!!

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  • Brucereno

    Pointless angst about a body part.  From all the discussion, you’d think penises were a rare or endanged species.  Grow up.  Its just a guy on the beach.

  • Van Wippesteijn

    Americans must think a naked guy in a picture with children is obviously a rapist or child molester. I mean, ha has the tools for it showing clearly. Come on! I have a hammer and a saw in my house, but that doesn’t make me a carpenter.

  • Anonymous

    I agree with Tedderman, below. The naked man was PhotoShopped into the ad. Look at the difference in the rock formations on the left and right. This was no accident, just some creeps idea of a joke.

  • Anonymous

    The Ad was in France not in America.

    I will never understand some American’s love of all things European. They started two world wars, the Socialist Governments are bankrupt, their countries are Balkanized. America at it worst, as it is under the present Occupier of the White House, is far superior in every way.

  • Anonymous

    I’ll never understand that group of Americans who have the ability to take a simple statement regarding aspects of a particular culture that are very contrary yet much more enlightened than ours, and decide that anyone has a “love of all things” of that particular culture. I’m from the patchwork Nation of the USA. Nothing we do here is original other than making a lot of different ideas work as a unit. THATS our progress and in making such strides we have learned from and created history. In this case, nudity, immediately gets treated as creepy (oh and it IS.. LOL). But in MOST cases America is more prudent with nudity and sex, yet we are glorious in gore and violence. I wonder if Seal Team 6 was emerging from the water if there would have been so much noise? I agree that the ad is inappropriate.

  • descantia

    Europe has a healthy relationship with nudity and the natural human body, it is not sexualised as it is in the states, what boggles the mind is the drama hysteria at a nipple or a tit showing but not even a blink or a comment at all the violence, double-standards and Hypocrisy is alive and well.

  • Tvspence27

    why?

  • Anonymous

    why what?

  • Anonymous

    why what?

  • Anonymous

    I do not see that any particular ‘culture’ is more ‘enlightend’ than ours. But in the end we agree!

  • Anonymous

    Stated like a good citizen of a roughly 230+ year old country sitting in an economic job slump without any obvious jobs on the horizon surrounded by people on one side clamoring for fairness in taxation and representation while the other side squeals to protect the uber-rich.
    I’m down with you regardless. The USA rocks this corner of the universe, but our next 100 years will be extremely interesting and history has provided many examples, sadly most, as you have illustrated, are not very non-violent or pleasant. My fear is are we to proud to see an answer. (By the way, Germany started two world wars. The USA just helped in finishing them! I wont frame Europe as “Germany” too narrow minded.)

  • Anonymous

    I have been watching World at War. The involvement of Eastern European Countries and others with Or in support of German goals is eye opening.

  • G7 Shark

    The naked man wasn’t Photoshopped, and sytop talk about what french thinks about nudity, because all of you are not french. This man is not a pedophile, because he doesn’t look like to a prest

  • Anonymous

    Sorry bumr, didn’t mean to cut you off.

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