High Peak Liberal Democrats

The Advertising Standard Authority (ASA) has today [Wednesday] upheld a complaint by Co-founder of the Campaign for Body Confidence, Jo Swinson MP, about a misleading L'Oréal advertisement featuring Rachel Weisz.

The ASA ruled that the image used in an advertisement for L'Oréal Paris' Revitalift Repair 10 was altered to change Rachel Weisz's complexion, making it appear smoother and more even. It was judged to be in breach of industry code and "misleadingly exaggerated" the performance of the product.

The advertisement has been banned in its current form and the ASA has warned L'Oréal not to use digital retouching to misrepresent the effect of their products.

Commenting, Jo Swinson said:

"The beauty and advertising industries need to stop ripping off consumers with dishonest images.

"The banning of this advert, along with the previous ASA rulings banning heavily retouched ads featuring Twiggy, Julia Roberts and Christy Turlington, should act as a wake-up call. Thankfully the advertising regulator has again acknowledged the fraudulent nature of excessive retouching.

"The Royal College of Psychiatrists has spoken out about the harmful influence of the media on body image and has highlighted the airbrushing and digital enhancement used to portray physical perfection as an area of concern.

"There needs to be much more diversity in advertising - different skin colours, body shapes, sizes and ages. Studies show that people want to see more authenticity from brands. Images can be aspirational without being faked.

"The Campaign for Body Confidence challenges the narrow ideal of beauty perpetuated by the media and other industries. Tonight the All Party Parliamentary Group on Body Image is hosting a screening of the documentary Miss Representation which explores the impact on society of such an intense focus on women's appearance, instead of their achievements.

"The film shows how media misrepresentation and under representation of women results in a leadership gap and the silencing of difference."