NEW YORK—After advertisements for their quarterly subscription boxes and online store were initially rejected for being too racy, pleasure products company Unbound is now free to advertise on New York’s subways.
Unbound—a site that sells subscription boxes with curated sex toys and publishes Unbound Magazine—earlier this month submitted proposed subway advertisements to Outfront, a company that manages the advertising for the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The ads were rejected for being too racy, according to several New York news outlets. While the ads contained no nudity, they did feature cartoon images of a few pleasure products. Outfront reportedly sent an email to Unbound saying the ads would not be approved under MTA guidelines because of clauses that prohibit “dissemination of indecent material to minors” and “public display of offensive sexual material.”
When the company fought back and media outlets began covering the decision, a double standard was pointed out: Roman, a company that handles medication to treat erectile dysfunction, had subways ads that featured close-ups of a man’s crotch; The Museum of Sex has advertised on the subways; and breast augmentation ads also have been on display in the trains.
Earlier this week, however, the MTA stepped in to ensure that Outfront will work with reps from Unbound to get the ads published.
“The MTA has always and will continue to ensure that our policies are applied evenly and fairly,” MTA rep Jon Weinstein said in a statement. “We’re going to direct our advertising partner to work with the company toward a resolution that is agreeable to all parties and allows their ads on the system.”
According to the New York Times, Unbound CEO and co-founder Polly Rodriguez said she is looking forward to working with Outfront on the ads, but ideally would like a policy change “so they don’t continue to champion erectile dysfunction and discriminate against products that cater to different genders and sexualities.”
For more, visit UnboundBabes.com.
Pictured: One of the ads for Unbound's MTA campaign, created by artist Kristen Liu-Wong.
