Calvin Klein 'Rape' Ads Banned Down Under

(Oct. 25) -- A racy Calvin Klein ad showing a nearly naked female model being straddled and held by the hair has been banned in Australia, where officials say it encourages rape and violence.

The government's Advertising Standards Bureau has ordered the controversial billboards be removed after declaring the images were "demeaning to women by suggesting that she is a plaything of these men," Australia's Herald Sun reported.

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This Calvin Klein ad was banned in Australia because it was deemed "demeaning to women."

The black-and-white photo shows supermodel Lara Stone, wearing only a bunched up, strategically placed shirt, being set upon by a bare-chested man. Her head is in the lap of another bare-chested man who's gripping a hank of her hair. A third man sits below, chewing a match stick and looking bored.

"Whilst the act depicted could be consensual, the overall impact and most likely impression is that the scene is suggestive of violence and rape," the advertising watchdog agency said in a recent statement, Britain's Daily Mail reported.

For years, Calvin Klein has been an equal-opportunity purveyor of highly sexual images. In the 1990s, then-rapper and now actor Mark Wahlberg hawked the brand's underwear in giant billboards showing him wearing only tighty whities. In 1981, then 15-year-old Brooke Shields announced "nothing" came between her and her Calvins.

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And having its ads banned is nothing new to the high-priced line of designer jeans. Last year, a commercial showing topless men and women writhing around on furniture and floors was blocked for depicting an orgy. In 2008, an advertising campaign featuring actress Eva Mendes was banned for its nudity, Women's Wear Daily said.

Australian officials said they had received 50 complaints about the overtly sexual ads, as well as criticism from a women's rights group. But, the advertising board said, the images were offensive to men as well.

"It also demeans men by implying sexualized violence against women," the board stated.

Calvin Klein officials did not return a message to AOL News for comment.