Icing's sexy breast cancer ad completely backfires
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Icing brand has been slammed after posting an advertisement for their "Fearless" campaign promoting breast cancer awareness. (iStock)
A controversial advertisement has been withdrawn by jewelry store Icing following objections from outraged breast cancer survivors.
The offending post on Icing’s social media channels featured sultry model Lacey Claire Rogers, 20, wearing heart-shaped pasties over her nipples in a see-through top.
The raunchy ad had been making the rounds on Twitter and Facebook all week.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“Loving @thelaceyclaire’s fearless look,” said the Twitter post next to the image, which shows Rogers wearing a beanie with the slogan: “Fearless.”
“Help @savethetatas with our fearless collection,” the quote continued. This was followed by the hashtag #IcingF**KCancer.
The Facebook post read: “Help us Save the ta-tas during Breast Cancer Awareness month by shopping our Fearless Collection in store and online.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Besides the beanie, the range of products includes a lanyard, choker, pink ribbon pin and keychain.
People taking offense at the tone-deaf advertisement included 33-year-old Stage Three breast cancer sufferer Courtney Stateler, who posted a Facebook photo of herself in a surgical mask lying on a hospital bed. “Does this look fearless to you?” she asked in her comment, which has since been taken down by Icing.
Others put up pictures of women with mastectomy scars.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“This is insulting. We’ve seen women among us poisoned, radiated, permanently scarred, and suffer the long term biological fallout of breast cancer,” posted Facebook user Jaime Clark.
“Has lacy [sic] gone through breast cancer?” wonders Sun Angela. “Did she have to tell her parents and watch the anguish on their faces when she told them she had bc.”
Twitter user @Esugey originally wrote: “This is so cruel to all breast cancer patients and survivors. how could anyone sexualize breast cancer for profit, DISGUSTING.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Icing apologized for offending its customers in a pinned Facebook post on its site.
“We apologize if our ‘Fearless’ product images have caused offence, this was not our intent, our intent is to help support valuable research in the battle against this terrible disease,” says the post.
But breast cancer survivors were not impressed.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“That’s a bulls**t apology,” wrote Facebook user and cancer survivor Ashleigh Jones. The fact that photo was ever taken shows you know nothing about breast cancer and it shows that you don’t give a damn about the fighters or survivors.”
This article originally appeared on the New York Post.