Just a few days ago I spotted an ad of the ever-lively Kajol endorsing a skin cream. She looked so stunning that I felt a bit like an ugly duckling. Or rather like an aging duckling. I thought I should check out the skin cream next time I go shopping.
And now, I read that two beauty brands – L’Oreal and Maybelline – have been hauled up in the UK recently for using ‘airbrushed’ images of actresses in their advertisements. One featured the gorgeous Julia Roberts and the other showed a close-up of model Christy Turlington. The UK Advertising Standards Authority has banned these ads, as the images “were exaggerated.”
You can rally for creative freedom and use of technology, but this seems like an excellent move to warn ad-makers not to stretch the truth to sell their products. It’s all the more relevant when you see young girls starving themselves to look like paper thin replicas of size-zero celebrities. Or diets and cosmetic surgery clinics featuring on many women’s wish-list.
It’s the era of exaggerated advertising reality and fantasy images, and star-appeal certainly has its clout. So, it’s time someone introduces a reality check. Should I feel comforted knowing that even a photograph of someone as lovely as Julia Roberts need re-touching; so I don’t need to be worried about my less-than ‘wow’ looks? Or feel appalled at this obsession with age-defying, picture-perfect notion of beauty?
Anyway, I am not buying that anti-aging cream now!
