UK Bans Demi Lovato Album Posters For Being Disrespectful To Christians

Singer Demi Lovato seems to have gotten on many nerves with her new controversial album cover. The star released a poster promoting her 2022 "Holy Fvck" album, which upset the advertisement regulators. After spending some time on the British billboards, the association removed them, claiming they were offensive to Christians.

Following this, the star's record label Polydor Records rose to her defense with claims that the poster was not as offensive as they thought. Despite this, the association warned them to keep the posters away from the public and insisted that they were disrespectful and offensive.

While some people supported the decision, several others rose to defend the star's poster, noting that "blasphemy wasn't a crime." They also said the singer has the right to express herself in any way and format she likes.

Keep reading to find out more.

The racy poster which promoted the "Cool For The Summer" singer's latest album started going around UK billboards in the summer of 2022. However, it wasn't long before it got the attention of Britain's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). According to Independent, the association, which believed that the promotional photo was offensive, took steps to bring it down and ban it entirely.

The poster showed Lovato lying down on a cross-shaped mattress in a black bondage outfit. The album title "Holy Fvck" accompanied the poster to complete the concept. The ASA noted that it would be disrespectful to leave up the ad since it sexualized Christianity.

ASAexplained that the "Holy Fvck" poster was likely going to offend the public and was disrespectful to Christians. Describing Lovato's image in the ad, they noted that the star was "bound up in a bondage-style outfit whilst lying on a mattress shaped like a crucifix, in a position with her legs bound to one side which was reminiscent of Christ on the cross."

They then explained that the image and title of the album sent the wrong message. "Together with the reference to Holy Fvck," the poster created a link between sexuality and the holy Christian symbol, which was the cross where Christ died. They noted that it "was likely to cause serious offense to Christians."

The association then decided to ban the poster from billboards. They added, "We, therefore, concluded the ad breached the Code." Commentator Alice Grant also supported this view by saying that the association should ban the "demonic" poster.

The record label noted that the poster was not offensive in any way and that the ban was ridiculous. They also explained that the poster got approval before they put it up on British billboards. Also, the promotion posters only stayed on the billboards for four days before being removed on August 23rd.

Despite their claims, the association warned them to keep the posters away from the public and insisted that they were disrespectful and offensive. Their statement read, "We told Universal Music Operations to ensure their ads did not cause serious or widespread offense in the future."

In response to the ban, some fans and supporters rose to the singer's defense and criticized the decision on social media. A fan tweeted, "If the album cover poster is so offensive... How did it get approval, to begin with? I'm not offended by Demi Lovato's "HOLY FVCK" album cover or the songs on the album."

British reporter Julia Hartley Brewer also said, "Just because you are offended by something, you don't have the right to take it down."

The Humanist UK official Twitter account defended Lovato with a Twitter thread. They noted that blasphemy was no longer a crime and that the star should have the right to express herself in any way she deemed necessary.

They wrote, "The freedom to criticize or mock religion, offend, and to express oneself artistically is a cornerstone of a free society."

"We can acknowledge that whatever people thought about the language used, religious offense should not have been a factor in the ban." the organization concluded.