These Cheugy Vintage Ads Are Past Their Prime

35. No-go zone

In the wake of a huge Balenciaga scandal, allow us to make it very clear how abhorrent the sexualization of children is in the advertising industry. This Lolita-esque advert is gross and, frankly, shameful when the model doesn't even look old enough to be sexually mature. Copy like "irresistible, clean-baby smell" and the teddy bear imagery doesn't skirt pedophilic territory but embraces it, and the backlash to an ad like this today would be swift and severe. That's before we get into the unhealthy fixation with a woman's innocence and purity when no such double standard is applied to men.