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For a society which spawned one of the most repressed eras in contemporary history, the Victorian period, England is certainly no stranger to racy material that's made available for the masses. From Nicole Kidman's much-ballyhood tits in Sam Mendes' London production of The Blue Room, which one critic deemed "theatrical Viagra," to the rather unsubtle display of a Spice Girl's ass cheek, Britain has seen it's share lately of tantalizing displays of the flesh. And evidently the public wants more. The American HBO series Sex and the City may be more popular here than in its country of origin. More often than not, English writers will drudge up the image of the character of Samantha in the series, a character which has managed to attain some dodgy status as a kind of saint of sluttiness, an icon of titillation and indiscretion. The Mother Theresa of fashionably cheeky tarts, if you will.  But is the public ready for the latest ad campaign from Gucci, which goes leaps and bounds beyond any typically accepted standard of decency by actually displaying the pubic hair of a young female model, while a male model kneels suggestively before her?Well, Gucci's not waiting for the results of any standards committee. Instead, they've launched the campaign, which is featured in this month's British edition of the fashion magazine Vogue. In the ad, a rail-thin (naturally) Carmen Kass stands against a wall, her kimono splayed open to display her admirable wares, while her hand tugs downward on her knickers enough to show a little bush, into which is carved the letter "G" for Gucci. The male model is eyeing the scene more suspiciously than a lager lout eyes a pint before the match. We'll forgive him, though, considering the circumstances (though I have to admit that he looks like a bit of a wanker, and I don't say that out of resentment, honestly). I guess it could be worse—it could be gracing a billboard, like the very controversial (and very sexy, to be sure) Opium advert featuring a pale, nude, beautiful Sophie Dahl arching her back into a position which even Barbarella would have considered a bit over the top. That piece of work was not only the cause of much navel-gazing among Britons, but also the very real gazing at the billboard was said to be the cause of more than one auto accident. In fact, it's no coincidence that this is the most talked-about advert since the sensation Sophie doffed her dacks, since both campaigns were orchestrated by ad genius Tom Ford. Just to show that he's not insensitive to the needs of those who desire the male form, last year Ford displayed male full frontal nudity for an Yves Saint Laurent advert. (Which was summarily, um, "circumsized" when it appeared in many fashion magazines.)  Again, not that we're complaining. Obviously, as editors of a site that deals exclusively in content of a "mature" nature, we believe that sex and sexuality is still repressed in popular culture, despite the odd foray such as the Gucci advert.But of English-speaking western nations, England has shown that it is far more grown-up when it comes to displays of nudity and sexuality than, say, the U.S. For its part, Vogue has no current plans to bow to pressure that is already stirring over the image. "For 80 years Vogue has had the tradition of publishing cutting-edge photography and advertising and we're reluctant to censure creative work," a spokesman for the magazine said. And maybe the British public is ready for such displays. Despite apocalyptic editorials by the likes of Daily Mail columnist Bel Mooney, who said Ford and Peruvian photographer Mario Testino (a favorite of Princess Di's) were "no better than pimps and those who advertise sexual services in phone boxes," the advertising standards authority has so far logged an unimpressive 16 complaints claiming the advert as "offensive and sexually suggestive." Makes you wonder what Ford has in mind next. Truly the sign of a great artist, no matter what medium he's working in.
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