Today, the Talent Management bloggers have been reminded of Yves Saint Laurent’s iconic Opium ad featuring model Sophie Dahl naked on a bed of navy satin.

The team here loved the then red-headed, plus-sized model posing seductively in nothing more than gold strappy heels and jewellery, and found it both empowering and refreshing to see healthy curves in a beauty ad.

However, not everyone agreed with us – the now infamous perfume ad, released in 2000, has just been revealed as the eighth most complained about advert in the last 50 years.

A new survey released by the Advertising Standards Agency showed that there were an astonishing 948 upheld complaints insisting the image was too sexually suggestive.

Dahl herself, however, seemed to have a similar view to the agency, having said: “I think the photograph is beautiful… it was seen as being anti-women, when in fact I think it is very empowering to women.”

Tom Ford, who at the time had just become YSL’s Creative Director, said that he hoped the advert would serve as a reminder of the brand’s history of sexual provocation and female liberation, while also being shocking enough to boost the then struggling house’s status in the fashion world.

Whether you were offended by the ad or not, we think you’ll agree it served its purpose well, having become an image synonymous with YSL. Ah, the power of a naked model.