Dive Brief:

• “This Body,” a Lane Bryant underwear ad starring Ashley Graham and other plus-sized models, has been rejected from airing on NBC and ABC, Racked reports. 
• The ad features the women in various states of undress “to celebrate and honor women of all shapes and sizes,” Lane Bryant told Racked.
• NBC countered that it asked Lane Bryant for minor edits on the ad to comply with broadcast regulations. But Lane Bryant told Racked that it will not edit the ad, instead airing the original on the web and social media. 

Dive Insight:

“This Body” shows Ashley Graham and other plus-sized women breastfeeding, doing yoga, and posing in the brand’s lingerie, with an inspirational voiceover listing what their bodies are made for.

NBC pointed to broadcast standards in saying that it only requested minor edits to air the ad, but Lane Bryant has refused to tinker with its creative. ABC has not commented, but rejected a similar ad in 2010, also citing indecency standards.

It’s the second time a Lane Bryant ad has been rejected by the networks for supposedly flouting broadcast standards. But the ad is hardly salacious—and only about as revealing as the average Victoria’s Secret or Go Daddy commercial. 

While perhaps not ready for network television, these types of body-accepting ads have worked well for retailers, even outside the plus-sized market. The top example is American Eagle, which has ditched Photoshop for its Aerie underwear ads and shows "real" women modeling its wares. The retailer saw sales rise 3.2% in its most recent quarter, thanks in part to healthy sales at the Aerie brand.