Several advertisements on Amazon promoting tank tops using the term “wife beater,” a phrase considered offensive by Canada’s advertising watchdog, have been removed from the Canadian e-commerce platform of the retail giant following an investigation by CBC News.
Amazon clarified to CBC that it does not object to the term and mentioned that the third-party sellers responsible for selling these tank tops on its website likely took independent action.
The term “wife beater” is commonly used to describe a certain style of men’s fitted tank tops. Despite a ruling by the Ad Standards Council in March branding the phrase as offensive, trivializing domestic violence, and breaching Canada’s advertising code, Amazon permits third-party sellers to include this term in their advertisements.
Ad Standards, the self-regulatory watchdog for advertising in Canada, supervises the voluntary Code of Advertising Standards in the country.
Amazon disregarded a request from Ad Standards to cease using the term “wife beater,” asserting that the term is culturally accepted and does not violate their Offensive Products Policy.
Following an investigation, CBC News notified eight dealers running a total of 10 Amazon ads utilizing the term about the Ad Standards ruling. To date, nine out of the 10 ads have been either taken down, modified to exclude the term, or made the product unavailable for purchase.
Two of the dealers directly responded to CBC News, expressing regret and promptly taking down the offending ads.
The remaining unchanged ad happens to be the only one selling tank tops for women rather than men.
Amazon Canada informed CBC News that they did not instruct the dealers to alter their ads and maintained their stance that the term “wife beater” is acceptable as a descriptor for clothing.
The case concerning Amazon was taken up by Ad Standards following a complaint from Diana Swales of Regina in 2024. Swales found it offensive when Amazon suggested a men’s “wife beater” tank top to her.
Swales expressed disappointment in Ad Standards for not compelling Amazon to remove the phrase from its website, stating that Amazon might be too large to be concerned about such matters.
Nonetheless, Swales acknowledged the efforts made by dealers in responding to the issue and commended them for taking action upon being informed about the potentially offensive nature of the term.
Amazon emphasized its commitment to maintaining an inclusive store environment and considering cultural sensitivities when making decisions about product listings on their platform.
