Twitter users have lambasted luxury shoe brand Jimmy Choo for its 'Cruise 2018' campaign branding it as 'tone deaf' and 'regressive'.
The ad, which was launched in November, stars model and actor Cara Delevingne walking down a New York City street at night, dressed in a short, slinky red dress and black high heel ankle boots studded with jewels.
As she passes by a man, he whistles at her and says, "Nice shoes, lady".
The video cuts to a close up of Ms Delevingne smiling in response before she continues her walk through the city.
A still from Jimmy Choo's 'Cruise' ad campaign. Source: Twitter/Jimmy Choo
The ad was posted to Jimmy Choo's Twitter account on November 10, but people have been replying to it with disapproval in the last few days.
Krystal Atha, whose Twitter profile says she works at anti-harassment advocacy group Collective Action for Safe Spaces in Washington DC, posted: "I completely disagree with @Caradelevingne and @jimmychoo [sic] decision to use #sexualHarassment to sell shoes. #toneDeaf."
Another Twitter user @justkellyok said, "We know it's about the shoes."
"The problem is with turning catcalls into a joke for an ad. The men look like they're ogling her, and one of them even whistles....still a catcall, not a compliment."
The recent criticism of the campaign comes after October's anti-sexual harassment #MeToo campaign gained momentum around the world, with women sharing their experiences of sexual harassment and abuse.
The outpouring followed reports by The New York Times and The New Yorker that several women had claimed that Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein had sexually harassed or abused them.
But others didn't see a problem with the Jimmy Choo campaign.
Twitter user @KarinaSwanS wrote, "I for one, don't think that the company, that was led by a woman for a while, would aim to portray anything against a woman."
