ASA rules against Barbie themed Turkey surgery ad
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has ruled against a Turkish surgery clinic after it published Barbie-themed content that was deemed to trivialised the decision to undergo surgery.
In August 2023, Tiktoker Millie Bracewell posted videos entering a hospital in Istanbul and going into the operating room, accompanied by a trending audio saying, ‘Hi Ken! Hi Barbie! Hi Barbie! Hi Barbie! Hi Barbie! Hi Barbie! Hi Barbie!’ The caption stated, ‘Click the link in my bio to get 20% off any treatment/surgery using the code millieb.’
She then posted a series of other videos after receiving breast augmentation surgery, talking to surgical staff, eating hospital food and walking around the city, alongside further discount code captions.
The complainant disputed a) whether the posts were identifiable as marketing content, b) if they trivialised the decision to undergo surgery and c) is they were aimed towards under-18s.
The clinic in question did not respond to the complaint. Bracewell said the posts were not advertisements as she had not receiving payment from the clinic, and she was simply vlogging her surgery journey. She said the posts were not geared towards under-18s as her followers are predominantly adults.
The ASA upheld all three claims made against the advertisements, saying they breached CAP Codes on recognition of marketing materials, cosmetic interventions and social responsibility. The ads must not appear in their current form again, and both Bracewell and the clinic were told not to trivialise the decision to undergo surgery in future communications.