UK rules erotic TV ad is offensive to Christians

LONDON (Reuters Life!) - An erotic television advertisement for hair straighteners that used religious imagery like rosary beads and the phrase: "thy will be done" has been banned in Britain for being offensive to Christians.

The ghd hair products ad prompted almost two dozen complaints to Britain's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), including one from the Archdeacon of Liverpool, Ricky Panter.

The ASA ruled that the advertisement, which also used votive candles and the letter "t" in a font that made it resemble the cross of Jesus, caused serious offence.

The ad featured lingerie-clad women lying on a bed praying for their "flirty flicks to puncture the heart" of every man they saw.

They finished with "ghd IV thy will be done", with the caption: "ghd. A new religion for hair".

While the ASA acknowledged ghd had been using the "new religion for hair" slogan in marketing campaigns for seven years and did not mock religion, it ruled the TV ad's erotic nature broke television standards.

"We concluded that the eroticized images of the women apparently in prayer, in conjunction with (the) religious symbols ... were likely to cause serious offence, particularly to Christians," it said in Wednesday's judgment.

In a statement, ghd's Chief Executive, Martin Penny, criticized the "unduly harsh" ruling.

"We do not believe that the advert is overly erotic or that the choice of font used is offensive to the wider Christian community," he said.

(Editing by Stephen Addison and Paul Casciato)