Weight loss product ads on celebrity Instagram accounts banned
Watchdog bans ‘irresponsible’ weight loss ads by Lauren Goodger, Katie Price and Georgia Harrison – and say some snaps were edited to make them look ‘artificially thin’
- Weight loss ads posted by Lauren Goodger and Katie Price have been banned
- Watchdog ruled the stars’ posts promoting BoomBod were ‘irresponsible’
- In separate ruling, ASA banned ‘weight loss gummy’ posts by Georgia Harrison
Instagram weight loss ads posted by Lauren Goodger, Katie Price and Georgia Harrison have been banned for being irresponsible.
The Advertising Standards Authority called out the stars over posts promoting weight loss brands BoomBod and Teamv24.
The watchdog also noted both Goodger, 33, and ex-Love Island star Harrison appeared to have edited their photos to make their figures look ‘artificially thin’.
Instagram weight loss ads posted by Lauren Goodger, Katie Price and Georgia Harrison have been banned. Katie Price promoted weight loss brand BoomBod, pictured, in March
Posts for BoomBod that appeared on the firm’s own Instagram page in March, as well as those for Goodger and Price, read: ‘BoomBod weight loss in a week. Clinically Proven. Stop Cravings. No Laxatives. Tasty 10 Calorie Shots.’
A post on Goodger’s Instagram account included an image of her standing by a fireplace in athletic clothes holding BoomBod packaging with the text: ‘Can’t believe these amazing results I’ve gotten with @boombod’s 7 Day Achiever.
‘It works so well to decrease bloating and get rid of those late night cravings. This difference I’ve noticed from using this stuff is amazing.’
A post on Price’s Instagram account in April included a before and after image of her, and the text: ‘Getting loads of questions about the @boombod program and how I like it, and it’s no secret. I can’t get enough of it! Quick & Easy weight loss is great, but doing it in a healthy way is key.’
Four people complained that the posts made health claims that were not EU-authorised, referred to a rate or amount of weight loss which was banned under advertising rules and promoted a dieting product in an irresponsible manner.
A post on Goodger’s Instagram account included an image of her standing by a fireplace in athletic clothes holding BoomBod packaging (pictured). The watchdog noted Goodger, 33, appeared to have edited the photos to make her waist look ‘artificially thin’
BoomBod said it would remove the ads and liaise with Goodger and Price to rectify the issue.
Goodger told the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) that she did not state that she had lost weight because of the product, but that it helped with bloating and hunger, adding that her post did not advise using the product for a long time.
Price said that the caption in her post ‘communicated her thoughts on the product’.
Upholding the complaints, the ASA said the ads breached rules around health claims and promoted a dieting product in an irresponsible manner.
It added: ‘We were also concerned that the photo of Lauren Goodger appeared to have been edited to make her waist look artificially thin with the result that the images were not representative of her real body shape.’
In a separate ruling, the ASA banned posts on the Instagram pages of firm Teamv24 and television personality Georgia Harrison promoting weight loss ‘gummies’.
In a separate ruling, the ASA banned posts on the Instagram pages of firm Teamv24 and television personality Georgia Harrison promoting weight loss ‘gummies’, pictured
A post on Harrison’s Instagram page stated: ‘V24 Gummies are great at helping you loose [sic] weight … V24 Gummies made dieting so much easier. They’re delicious and when taken with water they suppress your hunger cravings … They contain glucomannan which is clinically proven to help with weight loss.’
Protein Revolution, the brand’s owner, said the claim ‘Glucomannan in the context of an energy restricted diet contributes to weight loss’ was an authorised claim on the EU Register.
All Star Entertainment, on behalf of Harrison, acknowledged the complaint but did not provide a substantive response, the ASA said.
The ASA added: ‘We were also concerned that the photos of Georgia Harrison in both ads appeared to have been edited to make her waist look artificially thin with the result that the images were not representative of her real body shape.’
Protein Revolution director Ciaran Greenwood said: ‘Upon receipt of a complaint from ASA, we amended/removed content that was deemed to be in breach of their guidelines.’
An Instagram spokeswoman said: ‘Misleading adverts are not allowed on Instagram. ‘In addition, last month we introduced a new policy to restrict organic posts promoting the use of diet products which would likely include those flagged by the ASA.’
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