Lane Bryant’s Underwear Ad Got Rejected by NBC and ABC

Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.

Lane Bryant's latest underwear ad, featuring Ashley Graham and other plus-size models, was reportedly rejected by NBC and ABC, according to TMZ.

If this is feeling like deja vu, that's because a similar thing happened in 2010 with an Ashley Graham Lane Bryant ad. Back then, Lane Bryant claimed that ABC was being sizeist by rejecting its ad, while ABC alleged that it treated Lane Bryant the same as any other brand and that the whole thing was a publicity stunt.

The brand's new "This Body" underwear ad contains women in their underwear, naturally. There's a bit of mild nudity and a quick shot of a breastfeeding model. But is it any different than any other ad on television, asides from the fact that plus size models are featured? Here's Victoria's Secret YouTube channel for comparison.

Lane Bryant said in a statement to Racked:

The This Body campaign was meant to be a fun way for us to celebrate and honor women of all shapes and sizes. What is too much for some does not hold true for others. All women should be celebrated and feel empowered to express themselves as they see fit. We want her to know she can attract as much media attention, look just as striking as any woman, and decide what beautiful means to her. The This Body commercial holds nothing back. It is a true celebration of women of all sizes doing what makes THEM feel beautiful whether its breastfeeding their newborn, flaunting their bodies the way they see fit, breaking down barriers all around and simply being who they are or want to be!

Meanwhile, NBC told the Daily News that the network didn't outright reject the ad. "As part of the normal advertising standards process, we reviewed a rough cut of the ad and asked for minor edits to comply with broadcast indecency guidelines," the statement read. "The ad was not rejected and we welcome the updated creative."

Lane Bryant isn't the only recent example of ads geared toward women being banned. This fall, NYC's Mass Transit Authority originally deemed Thinx's "period-proof" underwear subway ads "inappropriate," but then changed its mind after an outcry on social media.

Update: Lane Bryant told Racked that the brand will not edit the ad and resubmit it:

The first edit was turned down out of hand and while we clearly created the commercial to air we will not edit it as we believe it’s a beautiful and appropriate expression of women’s bodies. We do plan to air this through our own media and through digital channels where they find it as acceptable.