Premium ice cream brand in trouble over ‘soft porn vibes’ after comparing desserts to ballet shoes

The premium ice cream brand Magnum has taken down its Chinese s that visually link its product to women’s feet wearing ballet pumps after they triggered an online backlash.The brand from the Netherlands posted a controversial for its new pistachio ice cream in January 2026.The advert suggests the ice cream looks like a woman’s feet wearing a pair of half chocolate, half light green-coloured ballet pumps.The offending advert, above, was seen by many people as objectifying women. Photo: sohu.comThe slogan that goes with the visual says that the product is inspired by ballet pumps that often feature contrasting colours and that the product is a “pleasant masterpiece”.Recently, the ad sparked backlash as online observers found the analogy far-fetched, speculating that Magnum was “smuggling in soft porn vibes”.Their reasons for coming to that conclusion were that ballet pumps rarely feature pistachio colour and the specific Chinese word for “pleasant” that the advert uses is often used to describe sexual pleasure.“It seems that Magnum ad producer has a foot fetish,” an online observer said.An earlier Magnum , shown above, also drew public criticism. Photo: sohu.comSome said the advert that links food to foot makes the ice cream appear “yucky”.People also dug out another series that Magnum posted on its mainland social media accounts in May 2025.The adverts that promoted its mini ice cream and celebrated Children’s Day feature grown-up women wearing silk slips in a bedroom setting.In one photograph, two models that appear to be a heterosexual couple feed each other the ice cream. The man wears normal short-sleeved pyjamas while the woman is more scantily-dressed.A boy eats an ice cream with his family while walking along a street in a traditional neighbourhood of Beijing. Photo: AFPThe advertising copy reads: “Pleasure is not just for children. Let’s crash into the cosy sofa time.”Further Reading“I thought it was a condom advert,” said one online observer.“The adverts represent the male gaze that objectifies women’s bodies,” said another.“Can you please hire a woman with some basic fashion sense to be your producer?” a third asked.Magnum, together with other ice cream brands such as Wall’s and Ben & Jerry’s, was demerged from their parent company Unilever and combined into the stand-alone The Magnum Ice Cream Company last year.Following the controversy, the company reportedly deleted all the relevant adverts.A ballerina tying her ballet slippers. Some critics suggested that the producers of the Magnum advert had a foot fetish. Photo: ShutterstockA member of customer service staff for Wall’s said they will “enhance reviews of their content”. The brand did not officially apologise or respond directly to the criticisms.It is not the first time a foreign brand has come under fire for sexist adverts in China.In 2022, the American consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble (P&G) posted an infographic on a mainland Chinese app with the headline: “Women’s feet smell five times worse than men’s.”It later removed the advert and apologised following an online backlash.