American Apparel ad banned in U.K. for sexualizing youth

Most parents fret over the sexualization of America’s youth in today’s media. And for good reason—just flip to TLC’s “Toddlers and Tiaras,” or look at almost any American Apparel print ad. In Great Britain, however, the government is confronting this issue. Recently, the U.K.’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) admonished American Apparel for an ad it believes “inappropriately” sexualizes “a model who appears to be a child.” A spokesman for the clothing retailer contends that the model, who in the ad appears pantsless while curled up on an office chair wearing knee-highs and a sweater, was 23 when the photo was taken.