Challenge: Figure Out Why This Miley Cyrus Mac Ad Was Nearly Banned in the UK

Miley Cyrus appeared in a new Mac ad campaign that was nearly banned in the United Kingdom. Can you figure out why? Took us a few minutes!

In a new MAC Viva Glam ad, Cyrus is wearing a rhinestone and sequined swimsuit while lying on her back with her legs pointed in the air and slightly apart in front of a mirror. There are no shots of her genitalia, all is covered, and the only thing that could be racy is just a bit of cleavage squeezed from her suit. That’s it, you’re probably asking. Yeah, that’s it.

Still, the British Advertising Standards Authority was called in due to complaints that Cyrus’ ads were “overtly sexual” and “unsuitable for display as posters in public areas where children could see them,” according to the Guardian.

Naturally, MAC, which shot Cyrus for their AIDS charity Viva Glam campaign, defended their work. The company described Cyrus’s pose as “confident” with a “defiant stare” meant to attract viewers. Yes, her crotch is visible in the mirror, but it’s covered and viewers are supposed to be looking at her eyes, not her crotch.

The ASA didn’t quite agree but didn’t disagree enough to do anything about it.

“While we considered that the images in all three posters were sexually suggestive, we concluded however, that they were not overtly sexual and unlikely to cause serious or widespread offence,” said the ASA.

The ASA ruled that Miley’s MAC ads aren’t allowed near schools, which was redundant because MAC had already stressed that location detail for its campaign.

This “overt sexuality” discussion doesn’t seem to be about Miley but rather the general prudishness of Western culture. Yes, women have crotches and sometimes they’ll be in photos, this is not the end of the world.