Adverts for PrettyLittleThing featuring 16-year-old Alabama Barker have been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). The watchdog ruled that PLT’s campaign with Travis Barker’s daughter sexualised the young influencer, breaking the CAP Code that states, ‘marketing communications must not portray or represent anyone who was, or seemed to be, under 18 in a sexual way.’
The Y2K Edit clothing collection was released in June, with Alabama pictured modelling the edit on the PLT website under the headline ‘Y2K IS CALLING’. In the complaint description on the ASA’s website, the authority noted that text advertising the collection read ‘channel that teen dream realness with barely-there micro mini skirts’.
‘In one image, Ms Barker wore a tight-fitting short dress whilst sucking a lollipop,’ the ASA continued. ‘Another image featured Ms Barker wearing high heels and a low-cut short dress that revealed her breasts whilst spraying a water hose. Ms Barker was also shown wearing a dress taking a phone call whilst lying on a bed and licking her lips. Further images showed Ms Barker in a short V-necked dress clutching her chest with one hand, and posed with her leg bent wearing a mini skirt and knee-high boots. An image of an open mouth with the tongue hanging out also featured…. In another image, Ms Barker wore a mini skirt, vest and cropped jacket whilst bent forward and clutching her chest.’
Responding to the complaint, PLT confirmed that Alabama was 16 at the time the campaign was shot and indicated that they chose her as an ambassador because the Y2K edit was aimed towards 16-24-year-olds. According to PLT, all creative was approved by Alabama’s team and all creative choices were intended to nod to ‘playful and girly’ Y2K aesthetics.
‘PrettyLittleThing said that they did not intend to sexualise Ms Barker and disagreed that she was portrayed in a sexual manner,’ the ASA wrote. ‘They said that Ms Barker was not asked to clutch her chest for the purposes of the photoshoot, and that in some cases her hands were held up close to the body to hold a jacket in place. They said that the use of open-mouth poses was currently popular with young people on social media, and some of these images were captured whilst Ms Barker was talking to the photographer.’
The clothing brand also noted that the intended message was one of body positivity and confidence. Despite their lengthy reply, which you can read here, the ASA upheld the complaint.
‘We considered the clothing to be revealing,’ they concluded. ‘We considered that a number of her poses were also likely to be considered as sexual. In several images, Ms Barker was shown lying on a bed and in one of them she was licking her lips in a sexually suggestive manner…. We also considered that the text “channel that teen dream realness with barely-there micro miniskirts” further highlighted Ms Barker’s young age.’
PLT have thus been warned that the advert must not appear in its current form and future ads cannot include images portray or represent anyone who was, or seemed to be, under 18 in a sexual manner.