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MANILA, Philippines – A mascara ad featuring actress Natalie Portman has been banned, according to a report by independent.co.uk.
Portman was featured in a DiorShow New Look mascara ad for Christian Dior.
According to independent.co.uk, Portman’s mascara ad has been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) “for exaggerating the effect of the product on her lashes.” The investigation was launched after rival L’Oreal complained that the ad “misleadingly exaggerated.”
Dior defended its ad saying it “had not received any complaints from consumers” which means that the product meets expectations set based on the ad.
In their official response to the L’Oreal complaint posted on the ASA website, Dior “stated that the ad was a stylised and aspirational ad intended to convey the luxury image and allure of the Diorshow Mascara and that consumers expected images used in ads for beauty products to have used professional styling and photography.”
Portman’s photo was initially intented to be used for a lipstick ad; the decision to use it for a mascara product was made after the photo was taken. Portman was, of course, wearing mascara and eyeliner in the ad, but no false lashes or eyelsh inserts were added.
Dior admits to retouching Portman’s natural lashes “digitally in post-production using the Photoshop CS5.1 software.” (For the complete details of the complaint, Dior’s response and ASA’s assessment, visit the ASA website.)
Taylor Swift, who recently launched her latest album Red, was featured in a NatureLuxe Mousse mascara ad for Cover Girl that experienced the same fate in 2011.
According to a report by nymag.com posted on December 20, 2011, the print ads featuring Swift were banned by the National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus Claims (NAD) “for making unsubstantiated claims.”
The NAD reportedly said that “the mascara ads made claims like ‘2X more volume’ and ’20 percent lighter’ that couldn’t be proven.”
The fine print beneath the ad that stated “lashes enhanced in post production” did not help the ad any.
According to the same report, NAD director Andrea Levine said in an interview with Business Insider: “You can’t use a photograph to demonstrate how a cosmetic will look after it is applied to a woman’s face and then… have a disclosure that says ‘okay, not really.'”
It looks like the US is moving towards “truth in advertising,” at least as far as mascara ads are concerned.
What are your thoughts on this? Tell us by posting your comments below. – Rappler.com
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