This campaign by make-up brand Rimmel has been banned by Britain’s Advertising Standards Authority, which has deemed it “irresponsible” because it “plays on the insecurities of teenage girls”.
At first glance, this might look like any cosmetics ad in collaboration with an influencer. Indeed, in this video, the star of the British reality show “Love Island” Lana Jenkins sponges her face for a campaign for the brand Rimmel London. The 25-year-old has been described as the ‘queen of contouring’, a make-up technique that involves reshaping her facial features to create light and shadow effects. So the content may seem unusual in the beauty industry… Except that the caption associated with the beauty tutorial encourages netizens to “get ready to get serious at the start of the school year” with the added bonus of a 25% discount. code to purchase facial skin corrector and other beauty products from the brand.
That was enough to cause outrage. The ad, which was originally broadcast on September 9, 2023 on Facebook, was condemned by two netizens on the social network who believed that the slogan could aggravate the complexes of young girls.
Influencer Lana Jenkins has been accused of “playing on the insecurities of young girls” in a Rimmel London ad banned in the UK by the ASA. Facebook screenshot
“Playing on Insecurities”
Following these reports, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled that the ad “suggests that girls or young women are more likely to succeed at school if they wear make-up, and in this particular case concealer or concealer. [produits] A contouring product, in this case a concealer and contouring product. Considering that “the ad played on the insecurities of young girls’ appearance,” the organization concluded that it was “irresponsible” and has since banned its distribution.
Faced with these accusations, Coty’s UK subsidiary, Rimmel’s parent company, defended itself, insisting that the campaign “in no way communicates the need for make-up”, but rather aims to promote “trends” for make-up lovers. The company also added that the ad was aimed more at women between the ages of 18 and 35 than teenagers.
Despite these attempts to overturn the opinion, the ASA held that although the ad’s target audience may include adult women, the term “back to school” (“back to school”)Back to school” in English), as well as the regressive aesthetics of the ad (book emojis, stars and pink pencils, bright colors, etc.) can be mostly seen as references to those going back to high school or college, and therefore aimed at teenage girls. in this age group.
recidivism
This is not the first time the Rimmel London brand has been targeted by the ASA. Indeed, in 2017, the agency already banned mascara ads featuring Cara Delevingne. The brand has been accused of exaggerating the voluminous effect of the product on the model’s lashes in the campaign, which has been described as “misleading”.
Source: Le Figaro
