The online promotion of women’s clothing brands, especially lingerie, is affected by the censoring of a woman’s body. There is a fine line between what posts are considered acceptable and proper and what are viewed as indecent and outright lascivious. Some brands are finding it hard to walk this fine line, and they get censored. For some, as The House of Skye’s SexyBack Bra, being on the right side of the line is crucial for growing the business.
An analogy may be appropriate to showcase how absurd the situation may get. Picasso’s Women of Algiers fetched a staggering all-time high of $180 MM at a 2015 Christie’s auction. That was the first time it made headlines. The second time Women of Algiers hit the headlines was after a local New York Fox news station censored the breasts of the three women shown on the canvass created 50 years back. The breasts on the picture are no more than a curved line with dots. However, this did not affect the masterpiece’s value nor the artist in general. With apologies to Pablo Picasso, censorship does affect House of Skye’s SexyBack Bra’s online promotion.
Skye Drynan, the founder of House of Skye, doubles as the face of the brand, and her image is much more than a curved line of dots, and it perfectly serves the purpose of promoting her product. Her brainchild—the SexyBack Bra—speaks for itself: it boosts women’s sexiness and empowers them. Ironically, when educating women online about making the best use of the rather intricate web of straps that her invention is made of, House of Skye often faces censorship. The SexyBack Bra is a unique contraption that allows several strap combinations to fit a variety of clothing styles, from backless tops to strappy dresses. How to adjust the straps is best visible and instructive if shown on a woman’s body rather than on a dummy. However, due to censorship considerations, House of Skye is obligated to demonstrate how to use the technical bra on a mannequin. Having Skye herself perform the bra tutorial would immeasurably benefit the brand’s message, which is both feminine and inspirational, without a trace of indecency. Who would do a better job showing how to use the SexyBack bra if not its inventor, who spent five years designing it? The bra’s design has seven patents issued in 111 countries, with 40 more pending.
The ban is based on double standards: some swimwear and underwear brands enjoy total freedom in demonstrating themselves often covering a much smaller portion of a woman’s body than the SexyBack Bra. It is time Instagram and other social media platforms adopt a universally applicable set of rules, a code of conduct that would be clear and easy to follow for brands seeking to promote their products without running the risk of being disciplined and their account flagged. Strangely, larger, more established brands more often avoid the censure while new, aspiring companies like House of Skye, among others, get the boot. So much for free competition, the pillar of the market economy.
Though the phenomenon is as old as time and social media platforms, for some inexplicable reason, find it comfortable to regulate a woman’s body and make their laws about it, it is time reason and justice prevail in this matter, and all brands regardless of their size are treated equitably. To check out House of Skye’s progress despite the obstacles and their innovative SexyBack Bra, visit their website or Amazon shop.