Julia Roberts and Christy Turlington as they appeared in L'Oreal's ads
The impossibly plastic, airbrushed faces of Julia Roberts and Christy Turlington used by L’Oreal in its advertising present an image of beauty that is impossible to attain. Their Stepford Wife faces stare lifelessly from the pages of magazines… they have no humour or personality, but at least they don’t look OLD!
The stunning models themselves, in real life, are complex, intelligent women. They are not line-free, but does it make them any less beautiful to be showing signs of age? Not in the least. So why does the cosmetic giant feel the need to deceive the public by erasing the evidence of life and laughter from their faces?
Thankfully, advertising watchdogs have seen sense and the “misleading” adverts for Lancome and Maybelline have been banned, after the Liberal Democrat MP Jo Swinson complained that they were “not representative of the results the products could achieve”. In a big hurrah for natural beauty, the Advertising Standards Authority agreed that the images were exaggerated and breached its code of conduct.
SBBH is devoted to celebrating women who are happy in their skin. But I am keen to find out what you think about this ruling? Do you think ads like these contribute to body image problems, or are you happy to accept glossy magazine advertising for the fantasy that it is?
