Christina Hendricks Commercial Banned In The UK For Being Misleading
Christina Hendricks may be one of Hollywood’s most recognizable red heads, but it’s her blonde hair from a recent Clairol ad campaign that has everyone talking about.
At first glance, you might be surprised to find out that the controversial commercial — shown below starring Christina Hendricks — is banned in the United Kingdom. When you hear about a controversial commercial, it may bring up images of Kate Upton sweatily eating a Carl’s Jr. sandwich. But the Clairol ad wasn’t banned because it was too racy; it was banned because Hendricks didn’t use the product as implied.
Christina Hendricks hair dye advert banned for being misleading http://t.co/KBj0JlErPg pic.twitter.com/25D82MmN37
— HuffPost UK Style (@HuffPostUKStyle) October 7, 2015
The commercial would have you believe that Christina Hendricks went in as a red head and used Clairol’s Nice ‘n Easy hair dye to go blonde. As Vanity Fair reports, Hendricks had already dyed her hair blonde to help distance herself as an actress from her previous roles. So she actually had to dye her hair red to be able to film what is now the beginning of the commercial.
In the commercial, Hendricks says, “I’ve been the same shade of red for many years. I think it’s time to change it up! Goodbye red — hello golden blonde!” And while that may have been her genuine sentiment when she first went blonde, it’s the opposite of what she actually did for the Clairol ad.
According to experts at the U.K.’s Advertising Standards Authority, Clairol’s implication that you can go from red to blonde — especially the shades displayed by Christina Hendricks in this ad — with one use of Nice ‘n Easy is clearly an exaggeration.
Clairol’s parent company, Proctor and Gamble, issued a statement in which they claim the transformation we see Christina’s hair make in the commercial is entirely possible, even if Hendricks didn’t specifically use the product as portrayed in the commercial.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doGilbieMJ0
People showed the specific claims the hair coloring experts made about Christina’s commercial. They claimed that the “color change depicted [in the Christina Hendricks commercial] could not have been achieved using the product alone.” Clairol “misleadingly exaggerated the capability” of the Nice ‘n Easy product being pushed by Hendricks. The change we see Christina’s hair go through couldn’t have been done using just one box, the experts concluded.
https://instagram.com/p/73wkAwTOAD/
When they were advised that the Christina Hendricks commercial wouldn’t be allowed on the air in the United Kingdom, Proctor and Gamble issued the following statement, as reported by People.
“We are disappointed in the outcome as we are confident that the color change we depicted in the TV copy (from Nice ‘n Easy shade 6R — Natural Light Auburn to Nice ‘n Easy shade 8G — Natural Honey Blonde) is possible and consumer achievable using our products. However, we respect the final decision of the ASA and will be removing the TV copy from airing in the UK effective immediately.”
Hendricks rose to fame as a member of the cast of the AMC drama Mad Men, which just aired its series finale this past May. Christina played the sultry Joan Holloway, known for her fiery red hair and mesmerizing curves. Hendricks was nominated for six Primetime Emmy Awards and received multiple Screen Actors Guild and Critics Choice Awards for her portrayal of the office beauty.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MFfli7FHJs
It’s a little ironic when you think about it. Christina Hendricks dyed her hair blonde to help people forget about her role as Joan on Mad Men. The hair dye job she had done while trying to distance herself from a role on a show about advertising stirs up controversy for Christina Hendricks when that same hair is in center of an advertising scandal.
[Image credit Clairol/YouTube]
