When the model “Twiggy” appeared in a series of Olay ads looking much younger than her 59 years and claiming that the product she was advertising, “Definitely Eye Cream”, was responsible for the changes, people started crying foul.
Turn out that in addition to adding the phrases “Olay is my secret to brighter-looking eyes” and “Because younger-looking eyes never go out of fashion…[it] reduces the look of wrinkles and dark circles for brighter, younger-looking eyes.” to the ad, the artists at Olay also did some “minor retouching” of the skin around Twiggy’s face, in effect creating the very same changes that the product was supposed to be responsible for.
According to the Guardian, the U.K’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) received hundreds of complaints from the public, claiming the Olay images were “socially irresponsible” and could have a “negative impact on people’s perceptions of their own body image”.
After much deliberation the ASA came to the conclusion that the ads should be banned, stating that altering the image gave a “misleading impression of the effect the product could achieve.”
Photoshop: helping to sell the snake oil of the 21st century.
