Antonio Mcgowan
In 2011, Dakota Fanning, then 17 years old, starred in a controversial Marc Jacobs perfume ad. The ad was banned in the UK by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for being “sexually provocative and accused of sexualizing a child. Fanning and Jacobs laughed off the controversy, and the actress, now 19, addressed the ban in the March 2013 issue of Glamour magazine, expressing her surprise at the strong reaction to the ad. Despite the backlash, Fanning has been a muse for Jacobs since 2006, known for her unique sense of style and fashion choices.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Age of Dakota Fanning during the shoot | 17 years old |
| Age when the ad was banned | 18 years old |
| Age when she spoke about the ad in Glamour magazine | 19 years old |
| Dress | Polka-dot dress |
| Skirt length | Short |
| Perfume bottle placement | Between her legs |
| Ad description | "Sexually provocative" |
| Ad ban | Banned in the U.K. by the Advertising Standards Authority |
| Ad inspiration | The character Lolita from Vladimir Nabokov's novel |
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What You'll Learn
The ad was banned in the UK for being sexually provocative
The ad for Marc Jacobs' Oh Lola! perfume featured 17-year-old actress Dakota Fanning, clad in a polka-dot dress, holding a bottle of the perfume in her lap between her legs. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) banned the ad, deeming it "'sexually provocative' and irresponsible for sexualising a child.
The ASA received four complaints about the ad, which ran in the London Evening Standard's ES Magazine and the Sunday Times Style magazine. The complaints alleged that Fanning was portrayed in a "'sexualised manner'". The watchdog agency agreed, stating that the length of her dress, the position of her leg, and the placement of the perfume bottle drew attention to her sexuality. They also considered that Fanning appeared to be under the age of 16, further contributing to the sexualisation of a child.
In response to the ban, Fanning and Jacobs reportedly laughed it off, with Fanning stating that she trusted Jacobs. She also expressed surprise at the controversy, questioning why people were sexualising the image. Jacobs himself described the perfume as "more of a Lolita than a Lola", referencing the controversial novel by Vladimir Nabokov about a middle-aged man's sexual obsession with a 12-year-old girl. This comment further stirred outcry, with some interpreting it as an admission of intentionally sexualising a minor.
Despite the backlash, Fanning defended her collaboration with Jacobs and their shared vision for the campaign. She also attributed the controversy to her youthful appearance, which some critics argued was exploited by Jacobs. However, she dismissed these claims, asserting that the ad did not feature any inappropriate content or explicit sexual references.
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Dakota was 17 when the poster was shot
The 2011 Marc Jacobs perfume ad featuring Dakota Fanning was banned in the UK by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for being too sexually provocative. The ad, which featured a 17-year-old Fanning clad in a polka-dot dress with a perfume bottle between her legs, was deemed to sexualise a child.
Despite the ban, Fanning defended the ad, saying she and Jacobs just laughed about it. She also stated that she trusted Jacobs and that the ad was not indecent. At the time, Fanning was a well-known actress, having starred in films such as "War of the Worlds" and "Charlotte's Web".
The ASA took issue with Fanning's age in the ad, claiming that she looked under the age of 16. The regulator considered the length of her dress, the position of her leg, and the placement of the perfume bottle to be sexually provocative and that, along with her youthful appearance, the ad could be seen to sexualise a child.
Jacobs himself admitted that his intention was to portray Fanning as a re-boot of Lolita, the young girl in Vladimir Nabokov's 1955 novel who has a sexual relationship with an older man. Jacobs had previously used Fanning in his ads in 2006 when she was just 12 years old, and he explained that he chose her for the perfume campaign because she could be a "contemporary Lolita, seductive yet sweet".
The Marc Jacobs perfume ad continues to be a controversial topic, with some defending it as artistic expression and others criticising it as exploitative and irresponsible.
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The ad was for Marc Jacobs' Oh, Lola! perfume
The ad was for Marc Jacobs Oh, Lola! perfume, and it featured 17-year-old actress Dakota Fanning. The ad campaign was released in late 2011, and it caused quite a stir. The ad featured Fanning in a short skirt, holding a bottle of the perfume in what was deemed a "sexually provocative" position between her legs. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in the UK banned the ad for being offensive and irresponsible, claiming that it sexualized a child.
Fanning, who was a Marc Jacobs muse at the time, defended the ad and her collaboration with Jacobs. She stated that she was surprised by the ban and didn't believe the ad was inappropriate. She expressed her trust in Jacobs and laughed off the controversy.
Jacobs, on the other hand, admitted that his intention was to portray Fanning as a re-boot of Lolita, the tragic character from Vladimir Nabokov's novel of the same name. Lolita has become a term widely used to describe a sexually precocious young girl, which caused further outcry.
Despite the ban and the controversy, Fanning and Jacobs maintained a close relationship. Fanning was quoted as saying, "I love Marc and trust him, and we just laughed about it." She also stated that she was shocked that the pink and floral perfume ad caused such a stir.
The Oh, Lola! perfume ad campaign ran in several UK publications, including the London Evening Standard's ES Magazine and the Sunday Times Style magazine. It is important to note that Coty UK, the producer and distributor of the perfume, along with the magazines featuring the ad, claimed that they had not received any complaints about the campaign.
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Dakota was surprised by the ban
The ad in question, for Jacobs' Oh, Lola! perfume, featured Fanning in a short skirt, holding the bottle in her lap. While the ASA understood that the model was 17 years old, they considered that she looked under the age of 16. They pointed to the length of her dress, the position of her leg, and the placement of the perfume bottle as drawing attention to her sexuality.
Fanning, who was a child star, has faced criticism throughout her career but maintains a close relationship with Jacobs, laughing off the controversy together. She defended the ad, stating, "If you want to read something into a perfume bottle, then I guess you can. But it's also like, 'Why are you making it about that, you creep?'".
The campaign sparked debate, with some accusing it of sexualizing children, while others, like Fanning and Jacobs, saw it as harmless. Jacobs later revealed that the ad was inspired by Lolita, a novel about a young girl's sexual relationship with an older man, which adds a layer of context to the public's reaction. Despite the ban, Fanning remained positive, and her comments in the interview reflect her ability to shrug off criticism.
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Marc Jacobs intended to portray Dakota as a reboot of Lolita
In 2011, Marc Jacobs launched a controversial ad campaign for his Oh, Lola! perfume, featuring 17-year-old actress Dakota Fanning. The ad was deemed ""sexually provocative" by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and was banned in the UK. The ad featured Fanning in a short skirt, with a bottle of the perfume placed between her legs in what was considered a suggestive position.
Marc Jacobs himself stated that he intended to portray Fanning as a "contemporary Lolita" in the ad. Lolita is a character from Vladimir Nabokov's 1955 novel of the same name, which tells the story of a young girl's sexual relationship with an older man, her stepfather. Jacobs was inspired by Fanning's appearance as a 15-year-old in the film "The Runaways" and believed she embodied the qualities of a "contemporary Lolita, seductive yet sweet."
The choice to portray Fanning as a Lolita-esque character was controversial, to say the least. The novel Lolita is widely known for its depiction of a middle-aged man's sexual obsession with a 12-year-old girl, and the term "Lolita" has since become associated with the sexualization of young girls. By invoking Lolita, Jacobs seemed to be playing into the long-criticized trend of sexualizing underage girls in the media and popular culture.
While some might argue that Fanning was almost an adult at 17, the ASA took issue with the fact that she looked under the age of 16. This detail adds an extra layer of complexity to the ad's Lolita-inspired theme, as it further blurs the lines between adolescence and adulthood, potentially glamorizing or normalizing the sexualization of minors.
The ad campaign for Oh, Lola! perfume sparked a broader conversation about the representation of young women in the fashion and beauty industries. It brought to light the fine line between portraying youthful innocence and inadvertently sexualizing underage girls. While Jacobs defended his choice, claiming that Fanning represented the "sweet and seductive" nature of the perfume, the ad's resemblance to Lolita's narrative caused widespread concern and criticism.
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Frequently asked questions
Dakota Fanning was 17 years old when the ad was shot.
The ad was banned by the U.K.'s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for being "sexually provocative" and sexualising a child.
The ad campaign was for Marc Jacobs' Oh, Lola! perfume.
Dakota Fanning laughed off the controversy, saying that she and Marc Jacobs had a close relationship and that they "just laughed about it". She also expressed surprise at the ban, questioning why people were sexualizing a perfume bottle.
