British Censors Ban Dakota Fanning’s ‘Provocative’ Ad

By Joseph Brannigan Lynch"We considered the ad could be seen to sexualize a child."

Marc Jacobs

Dakota Fanning is one of the few child-turned-teen actresses who has managed to steer clear of tabloid headlines, but the 17-year-old's half-scandalous Marc Jacobs ads were just banned from British shores.

Although they've been running in print since this June, the U.K.'s self-regulatory Advertising Standards Authority just deemed her photo "sexually provocative" as well as "irresponsible," concluding the ads were "likely to cause serious offense" since Fanning is still a minor, reports The Guardian.

American eyes accustomed to a steady stream of underage stars dancing on poles and prancing around in schoolgirl outfits might find the ads--which show Fanning in a flesh-colored polka dot dress holding a flower-topped perfume between her legs--comparatively tame. But the ASA makes an interesting argument that U.S. censors might want to take note of.

"We understood the model was 17 years old, but we considered she looked under the age of 16," the non-governmental organization reasoned. "Because of that, along with her appearance, we considered the ad could be seen to sexualize a child."

So although Fanning certainly acts much older than her years (both in films and in real life, considering that she's already attending NYU), they point out that she looks much younger than her almost-adult age.

Of course, it probably doesn't help things that the perfume itself is called "Oh, Lola!" which brings to mind the similarly-themed controversial novel "Lolita." And even though each unit is sold with a faux-flower coming out of the bottle neck, that association doesn't do the defense any favors either.

Still, it's worth pointing out that when the celebrity-minor-in-question actually was 15, she shared an onscreen kiss with then-19-year-old Kristen Stewart--and the R-rated "Runaways" movie isn't off-limits for British eyes, only those under the age of 17. SOURCE: