Rachel Weisz L'Oreal Ad Banned for Being 'Misleading'
L'Oreal anti-wrinkle cream advertisements featuring actress Rachel Weisz have been banned from the U.K. following a complaint from MP Jo Swinson.
The effects of the revitalift repair cream was deemed "misleadingly exaggerated" by the Advertising Standards Authority, who feel Weisz's face was extremely retouched.
"Where advertisers cross the line it's important that they are held accountable more generally. It's not purely about women, there's big pressures on men as well," Swinson told the Huffington Post U.K.
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In the past, L'Oreal has faced similar complaints about their airbrushing techniques. The company had to add a disclaimer to advertisements for their Telescopic mascara ad featuring Penelope Cruz. The disclaimer explained that the actress was wearing false eyelashes after the ASA ruled the ad was also "exaggerated" in effect, Reuters reported.
"With the volume of images that contain women as well as men, there is arguably a greater pressure on women but it's not purely a feminist issue. Along with this idealized images there is also a very pervasive message that what matters for women is how they look," Swinson added.
Swinson has made a crusade out of what she considers damaging false advertising. She previously campaigned about excessive retouching in a Lancome ad featuring actress Julia Roberts and a Maybelline ad with veteran model Christy Turlington. Both ads were also pulled.
"Excessive airbrushing and digital manipulation techniques have become the norm, but both Christy Turlington and Julia Roberts are naturally beautiful women who don't need retouching to look great," Swinson said in a statement about the ads.
"Go through the [press] archives over the past few years, everything from Theresa May's shoes and Jacqui Smith's cleavage. I've seen MPs in the new intake suffer appalling sexist stuff, when they're trying to pursue an important issue it just gets lost in the coverage," Swinson explained. "It's a double whammy, not only is there all of this pressure to look this way but girls grow up thinking that's what important."
Swinson, chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Body Image, told Huffington Post U.K. that although she had no more outstanding complaints, "I've pulled some more out of magazines."
