Rejected campaign for Marithe & Francois Girbaud - Italy wear company.

Complaint:
This image offends the religious sensibilities of all citizens. It trivializes the intense and dramatic moment during the Last Supper in which Christ anticipates his crucifixion in order to liberate humanity from their sins by appropriating religious symbols - such as loaves and fish - for commercial purposes and by replacing the apostles with female fashion models.

Advertiser’s Statement:
The advertisers´ primary defense was that modern society has enabled women to achieve sexual equality with men only by sacrificing their femininity. This advertisement´s interpretation of Leonardo´s painting does not trivialize the sacred, but rather creates a new perception of femininity by presenting men - instead of women - in a position of fragility.

Adjudication:
The Advertising Standards Authority of Italy ruled that the image offends religious belief not only because it provokes a reaction among consumers of the sacred profaned, but also because it attempts to elevate commercial products to the same level as religious symbols. Rather than being merely satirical, the message of this advertisement blurs the boundaries between the sacred and the profane, and thus offends consumer sensibility.

Title: The Last Supper
Creative director: Tho Van Tran
Agency: Air, Paris

via: bestrejectedadvertising