Banned 'irresponsible' cosmetic surgery advert 'likely to cause harm' to teenagers

An "irresponsible" cosmetic surgery advert has been banned for being likely to cause harm to teenagers.

The television advert for Transform featured a 21-year-old fashion blogger discussing her dislike of her body.

The advert led to a viewer complaining that it exploited young women's body insecurities by implying that breast-enhancement surgery would make them more confident and popular, and challenged whether the advert was irresponsible and harmful to those under-18.

TFHC Ltd, trading as Transform, responded by describing Ms Ashcroft as "representative of many independently-minded, responsible, thoughtful, sophisticated and successful young females who chose to undergo cosmetic surgery".

They added that she was a positive role model with a social media following of more than 500,000 people.

Continuing, Transform said the advert did not exploit insecurities, rather it reflected the emotional and physical outcome experienced by Ms Ashcroft, and it did not make any claims that breast enlargement surgery resulted in increased popularity.

They further added that the advert included on-screen text stating that surgery was not without risk and for over-18s only, and that the advert would only be shown after the watershed at 9pm.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said it was concerned that the advert's focus on Ms Ashcroft's negative perception of her body prior to surgery might encourage viewers, particularly young women and teenage girls, to think about their own insecurities and bodies.

The ASA said it believed viewers would infer that her popularity and success as a fashion blogger had been, in part, a result of cosmetic surgery, ruling that the advert must not appear again in its current form.