Hmmm...

Lane Bryant Says ABC, Fox Censored Plus-Size Lingerie Ad
by Erin Donnelly

Babes in bras seem to be all over the boob tube -- unless those babes happen to be a little big.

Lane Bryant is accusing Fox and ABC of a "double standard" over restrictions for their new lingerie commercial starring a bevy of curvy cuties in their bras and panties, Ad Week reports.

A post on the plus-size retailer's Inside Curve blog -- which has since been removed, along with the ad itself -- charged that the networks had refused to air the sexy ad without substantial edits.

"ABC and Fox have made the decision to define beauty for you by denying our new, groundbreaking Cacique commercial from airing freely on their networks," the Lane Bryant post reportedly said.

According to the company, ABC "restricted our airtime" by denying it a slot during "Dancing with the Stars," while Fox "demanded excessive re-edits and rebuffed it three times before relenting to air it during the final 10 minutes of 'American Idol,' but only after we threatened to pull the ad buy."

Drama! So what got the networks -- which frequently run lingerie ads from the likes of Victoria's Secret -- so hot and bothered?

Lane Bryant reportedly claims that a heavy helping of cleavage revealed by lingerie-clad plus-size models in the ad rubbed execs the wrong way (oh, get your mind out of the gutter).

According to the blog, "The networks exclaimed, 'She has...cleavage!' Gasp!"

"Yes, these are the same networks that have scantily clad housewives so desperate they seduce every man on the block -- and don't forget Bart Simpson, who has shown us the moon more often than NASA, all in what they call 'family hour.'

"While it's no secret that Victoria's Secret 'The Nakeds' ads are prancing around on major networks leaving little to the imagination, steaming up TV screens and baring nearly everything but their souls, our sultry siren who shows sophisticated sass is somehow deemed inappropriate...

"Does this smack of a double standard? Yep. It does to us, too."

Wow. Lingerie or no, Lane Bryant isn't taking this snub lying down.

The networks, meanwhile, had no comment, Ad Week says.

We don't see what the big deal is. If ABC can show us Dennis Franz's bare butt, surely they can deal with a few womanly curves!