What Was Marc Jacobs Thinking?
Dakota Fanning is known for being mature beyond her years. Although she often plays the role of a rebellious adolescent, the girl has smarts and, at the relatively young age of 17, is one of the best actresses in the business.
But with her pixie face, blue eyes, and blonde hair, Fanning can sometimes look child-like, which is why her Marc Jacobs ad has been banned in the UK
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A provocative ad campaign for Marc Jacobs perfume, Oh Lola!, featured Fanning sitting on the floor with the perfume bottle between her thighs. After appearing in a few glossy mags, the Advertising Standards Authority received four complaints that the ad was offensive and irresponsible, because it portrayed the young model in a "sexualized manner".
Following the accusations, the ASA took immediate action and banned Fanning's camping, claiming that it sexualized children. "We understood the model was 17 years old but we considered she looked under the age of 16," the ASA said.
It's not clear whether Jacob's intended to exploit the fact that Dakota Fanning looks extremely young for her age; however, he was keen for Fanning to be a "contemporary Lolita, seductive yet sweet." Lolita of course, was featured in the controversial novel by Vladimir Nabokov, about a middle-aged man’s sexual obsession for a 12-year-old girl.
Following the accusations, the ASA took immediate action and banned Fanning's camping, claiming that it sexualized children. "We understood the model was 17 years old but we considered she looked under the age of 16," the ASA said.
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"We considered that the length of her dress, her leg and position of the perfume bottle drew attention to her sexuality. Because of that, along with her appearance, we considered the ad could be seen to sexualize a child. We therefore concluded that the ad was irresponsible and was likely to cause serious offence."It's not clear whether Jacob's intended to exploit the fact that Dakota Fanning looks extremely young for her age; however, he was keen for Fanning to be a "contemporary Lolita, seductive yet sweet." Lolita of course, was featured in the controversial novel by Vladimir Nabokov, about a middle-aged man’s sexual obsession for a 12-year-old girl.
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What do you think? Is Fanning's photograph inappropriate? Does it sexualize children, or are we looking into it too much? Take our poll and let us know. . .
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