Guess Why This Rachel Weisz Ad Was Banned in the UK

Usually, when the UK's Advertising Standards Authority bans ads with links to film culture, it's for the threat of causing "undue distress to children" or because a suggestively posed Dakota Fanning might corrupt all those virtuous British lasses you always hear about. So it came as a surprise to see the watchdog crack down on something genuinely troublesome: Rachel Weisz Photoshopped to within an inch of her life.

But there you have it! In a statement broadly aimed at the cosmetics industry in general, the ASA took L'Oreal's overzealous retouching goons to task for untruth in advertising:

“We told L’Oreal Paris to ensure that they did not use post-production techniques in a way that misrepresented what was achievable using the advertised product. Although we considered that the image in the ad did not misrepresent the luminosity or wrinkling of Rachel Weisz’s face, we considered that the image had been altered in a way that substantially changed her complexion to make it appear smoother and more even. We therefore concluded that the image in the ad … misleadingly exaggerated the performance of the product in relation to the claims ‘SKIN LOOKS SMOOTHER’ and ‘COMPLEXION LOOKS MORE EVEN’.”

The company's priceless response?

"We do not believe the ad exaggerates the effect that can be achieved using this product."

Ah, OK, that settles it. Weisz, meanwhile, could not be reached for comment because she's presumably recoiling in aghast embarrassment. Well played, all.

[Daily Stab via Pajiba]