Beyonce' turns up the heat

| Thursday November 18, 2010 00:00

The commercial, which begins with an image of the singer lying naked in a room, has been deemed 'too sexually provocative' to be seen by young children and will not be shown on British TV before 7.30pm. The Advertising Standards Authority investigated the advert - which appeared on ITV and Channel 4 as well as music channels - after it receiving 14 viewer complaints.  The 29-year-old American singer, full name Beyonce Knowles, is married to rapper Jay-Z. She is renowned for her skimpy stage costumes and sexually charged performances.

Manufacturers of the perfume claimed the commercial was in tune with her 'sexy chic' imagery and not in any way indecent. It argued that the imagery was less overtly sexual than what is routinely seen in music videos, particularly those featuring US rappers and bikini-clad girls.

The ad shows the singer lying naked in the middle of a room.  In the next scene she is shown wearing a revealing red satin dress and walking towards the camera, touching her neck and moving her hand across her chest.

She runs her hand along a wall, leaving a trail of fire as she touches it.  She is then shown leaning against a window, moving her hand down her neck and caressing her breast.

She begins dancing seductively with the camera showing her chest, back and thighs.  The ad closes with Beyonce' walking away from the camera, her footprints melting the floor.  She turns and says: 'Catch the fever.' A male voiceover then says: 'Beyonce' Heat. The first fragrance, by Beyonc.' Coty UK, which makes the fragrance in partnership with the singer, claimed the ad was stylised in keeping with other ads in the genre, and not overtly graphic or explicitly sexual.  At at no point was Beyonce naked, they added. A spokesman said: 'The ad was intended to reflect the singer Beyonce's personal 'sexy chic' style.'

'It was aimed at a vast selection of music programmes to target a young adult audience.

It would therefore be consistent with the expectations of viewers of those sorts of programmes, they claimed.