Moms vs. another nude woman

Lotions, body washes, bath gels, and lip glosses. Bath & Body Works sells products that go on your skin before you put your clothes on, so it makes sense to show a lot of skin in their advertisements. But their approach of using nude women in ad campaigns has a Christian mom’s group upset -again.

“The new Bath & Body works campaign isn’t much better than the last one,” says Monica Cole, national director of One Million Moms.

Last month I wrote about this campaign with a nude model. Many of you had a strong reaction to it, with most saying there’s nothing wrong with the ads. Others pointed out the posters were more tame than Victoria’s Secret ads (owned by the same company, Limited Brands). Now a follow up, because the advertising campaign has changed and I’ve learned a little more about the One Million Moms group.

Jennifer Ortiz, a spokeswoman with Bath & Body Works, says their ads change regularly and the moms’ email blast was not a factor in their toned down store window displays. With the campaign that followed the “nude woman” protest, a large poster of a model is covered up by a thin transparent blue filter, shiny green and blue circles, and large letters with a slogan for one of the store’s lotions.

Inside Bath & Body Works, the model is again behind a blue-tinted screen with big “NEW! DEEP AQUA” letters over the image as she wraps her arms around the front of her body. The advertising is noticeably more subtle. Cole agrees the ads seem less abrasive, but some members of her group believe it is still obvious that the woman is nude.

“These kinds of images are getting kids used to the idea that seeing a naked woman is normal,” Cole says. “In Europe you see women in commercials for shampoo with her breasts exposed. We don’t want that here in the United States. It is harmful to kids because they’re desensitized to sexual images.”

So, who are the One Million Moms?

There are not a million of them. The moms’ group has been around for eight years and at the moment has about 160,000 members. About 2,400 are in the Seattle area. Cole says their goal is to get one million moms involved with the cause of monitoring media images, messages and shows that might not be appropriate for kids.

“Teaching godly values and morals today isn’t easy,” she says. “I know some people criticize me for standing up and doing something to protect children in our society. We’re just trying to look out for America’s youth.”

Cole adds, she gets more encouraging emails and messages from supporters which “out weigh the negative,” so she’ll keep taking on issues that concern moms.