Complaint:
I would like to express deep concerns about the name, branding and pump clip design of Twickenham Brewery's ale Naked Ladies. In itself, the school-child sniggering tone of the name is offensive,
representing outmoded and sexist attitudes to women which should have no place in public life, and certainly not in any industry that wishes to survive in the 21st century.
Moreover, from my recent experience of ordering a pint in
a London pub in which this was the only available real ale, the name of the beer and pump clip imagery present real problems of offence and embarrassment. As a middle-aged man, the experience of saying the name of the beer to the young woman serving at
the bar was awkward and unsettling for all concerned. As a pub-goer, I would obviously prefer not to be made uncomfortable by the simple act of ordering a pint. More importantly, bar staff should be able to go to work without being subjected to sexist
and sexualised language and imagery which, given age/power differentials with customers, could well be interpreted as harassment or abuse.
Company statement:
The company stated that Naked Ladies was
a best-selling beer and had been available for over 19 years. The company explained that it was one of a range of beers which were all named after local landmarks, with the name Naked Ladies relating to statues at York House, the home of Richmond and
Twickenham Council. While the statues had no official name, locally they had become known as the Naked Ladies and usage of the local name had transferred more formally with the statues also listed as an entity with Historic England. The company explained
that in addition to this, the name was also used to refer to the statues in several other sources, including The York House Society, reflecting that the name was well known by the general public.
The company explained that the
pump clip included a graphical representation of the largest statue and it had used such branding for approximately 10 years. The company explained that at all stages, it endeavored to ensure the link between the name and the statue was obvious and
clear. This included a description of where the name derived on the company's website and on the packaging of the bottles which referenced the local landmark.
The Panel's assessment The Panel discussed the
product name Naked Ladies and its historical context as explained by the producer. The Panel noted that the name was a colloquial one used to refer to a group of statues at York House in Twickenham which was a fairly well-known landmark as an entity
listed with Historic England. The Panel discussed the company's response and noted that the name had not been used gratuitously as the packaging and company website incorporated descriptive language designed to explain the historical context of the
statue. The Panel noted that due to its smaller size and limited space the pump clip did not include the same information but considered that the reference to Twickenham in the company's name did provide some context between the name of the beer and the
local landmark. The Panel determined that the name may be distasteful to some but that the overall impression, as opposed to the name in isolation, would determine whether the pump clip caused serious or widespread offence under Code rule 3.3.
The Panel discussed the artwork presented on the pump clip which depicted one of the referenced local statues, a naked woman, at York House. The Panel considered the Portman Group's accompanying guidance to Code rule 3.3 and noted
that to breach the rule in relation to sexual objectification the packaging or marketing would need to incorporate elements that were demeaning, derogatory, gratuitous or overly sexualised. The Panel considered that the design was artistically stylised
and akin to art deco in style with no identifying detail added to any of the statue's features. The Panel noted that the naked statue was modestly presented with its pubic area covered by hops and considered that nudity in and of itself would not
inherently cause serious or widespread offence, particularly nudity depicted by an art deco statue. The Panel noted that there was no undue focus on the statue's breasts which were low definition and portrayed through a shadowing technique in keeping
with the depiction of the rest of the statue. The Panel discussed the pose of the statue and noted that it was not positioned in a sexualised manner which meant that it did not objectify the statue based on its gender or sexuality. The Panel considered
the artwork in its historical context alongside the name Naked Ladies and considered that the pump clip was not demeaning, discriminatory or derogatory in its portrayal of women more broadly.
The Panel considered that the
depiction of the statue and the name Naked Ladies did not cause serious or widespread offence. Accordingly, the complaint was not upheld under Code rule 3.3.
