L'Oréal defends hiring porn star, 24, for sexually charged new ads
L'Oréal recently recruited Ari Kytsya, a US-based adult performer, to promote its Urban Decay line in a series of sexually charged social media ads.
One ad for the new 'anti-bland' make-up campaign contains pixelated images of the 24-year-old under the headline '[Urban Decay] likes it raw'.
While another clip comes with a sensitive content warning as Kytsya tells viewers that the 'uncensored makeup' – a new range of blushes and mascaras – can be used on 'stage, on camera and yes, on mattresses'.
But its tongue-in-cheek nature has fallen flat with some consumers, many of whom have blasted the beauty giant for hiring a porn star to promote its products.
'This partnership is not empowering, it sends a very dangerous and harmful message to young people,' said one critic on TikTok.
'These ads are sickening,' raged another.
As one lamented: 'Just what we need, another push to normalise and glamorise sex work.'
Others questioned whether the partnership violates L'Oréal's own Value Charter, which outlines ethics and guidelines around which influencers the brand uses. One such guideline states that creators who work with the brand must 'commit to not posting or have previously posted' pornography, as well as other content 'which is at odds with our values of respect, tolerance and inclusion'.
L'Oréal defended the collaboration, praising Kytsya for her openness in talking about 'the joys, challenges, and risks of the industry she works in', in a statement issued to The Guardian.
But experts have warned the collaboration has marked a worrying new threshold in the mainstreaming of OnlyFans and its explicit content, warranting 'legitimate concern'.
'We have concerns about the thousands of very young women joining the site in the hope of finding fame and fortune. The majority of OnlyFans creators make very little money and the pressure to find a niche is pushing women to make increasingly explicit content,' Penny East, the CEO of the Fawcett Society, the UK's leading charity campaigning for women's rights and gender equality, said.
'Ari Kytsya is one of the few successes. She is a hugely popular and engaging influencer, with a large following across all social media platforms. She also creates highly explicit and pornographic content on OnlyFans. The move to put OnlyFans content creators in high-street commercial makeup campaigns will only serve to make OnlyFans a more enticing prospect for young girls.'
Urban Decay, purchased by L'Oréal in 2012, is known for its provocatively named products, such as 'Naked' eye shadow palettes and its cult 'All Nighter' setting spray.
Kytsya, who describes herself as a 'mattress actress', is beloved by her more than 4.6 million social media followers for her 'real' and 'honest' approach to sex work.
As a result, there has been a huge amount of support for the new campaign, with many praising Urban Decay for not stigmatising sex workers.
'There has been so much pearl clutching about the dumbest things lately, as if this is gonna make teen girls dream of becoming sex workers,' one lamented online.
'She's super duper clear in sooo many videos that she doesn't support really young girls going into the industry,' another argued.
'Well done, Urban Decay sees that being a sw [sex worker] isn't something to shame. They are accepting of everyone.'
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