Liberal Democrat News 29th July 2011
Originally published by UK Liberal Democrats
- MP gets Julia Roberts ad banned.
- Health Minister Paul Burstow talks to Adrian Slade.
- Will Gaddafi escape justice?
- Huppert supports his local pub, and lots more.
From our headline article:
Swinson wins ban on retouched ads
Heavily airbrushed foundation adverts by Maybelline and Lancôme have been banned following a complaint by Jo Swinson MP, co-founder of the Campaign for Body Confidence.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled this week that the advertisements for foundation products by Maybelline and Lancôme, owned by cosmetics giant L'Oréal, breached industry codes.
The regulator said it did not have enough evidence to prove that the images accurately represented what the foundations could achieve, and the ads - featuring extensive digital retouching to the skin of actress Julia Roberts and model Christy Turlington - were deemed likely to mislead.
"This ruling demonstrates that the advertising regulator is acknowledging the dishonest and misleading nature of excessive retouching," said Jo. "Pictures of flawless skin and super-slim bodies are all around, but they don't reflect reality. With one in four people feeling depressed about their body, it's time to consider how these idealised images are distorting our idea of beauty.
"Shockingly, even the ASA weren't contractually allowed to see the pre-production photo of Julia Roberts. It shows just how ridiculous things have become when there is such fear over an un-airbrushed photo that even the advertising regulator isn't permitted to see it.
"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.
"This ban sends a powerful message to advertisers - let's get back to reality," suggested Jo.
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