The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned an advert for ‘Oh Lola!’ perfume, manufactured by Coty UK, featuring the 17-year-old actress Dakota Fanning. The advert featured the actress in a thigh-length dress with a bottle of the perfume resting on her lap.
The ASA ruled that the actress appeared below the age of 16 in the advert, although this was disputed by Coty UK. The ruling was also based on the length of the dress worn and the relative positions of the actress’ legs and the bottle of perfume, all of which drew attention to her sexuality. The ASA ruled that the advert was in breach of the CAP Code, the code of practice aimed at ensuring that non-broadcast adverts and material on websites comply with certain minimum standards. As such, it was ruled that the advert should not appear again in its current form.