Ella Gross is an 11-year-old Korean-American actress and model who starred in the recent TV reboot of Heathers. She also has more than 3.2 million followers on Instagram.
In the 30-second commercial aimed at a Korean audience for new ice cream flavors, she is wearing a pink sleeveless dress and savors “Pink Star” ice cream in various poses.
The video was released on Friday but immediately sparked debate online as to whether her poses were too suggestive.
The Korea Herald noted how many online users were concerned that the makeup and clothes Gross were in were intended to make her look older, adding that some of her actions and expressions had sexual connotations.
One person posted on Twitter: “I don’t understand WHY an 11-year-old girl with adult makeup should appear in an ice cream commercial.” Another tweeted: “What the hell is going on with Baskin Robbins?”
Another user took issue with the close-up of the model’s lips, tweeting: “She is 11-year-old!!! It is sooo weird and disgusting.
“You must delete this video and @BaskinrobbinsKR has to explain about this video.”
However, The Korea Herald also noted some online users argued that such claims of sexualization resulted from oversensitivity and that the accusations people made were “an offense to Gross and her family.”
After the controversy, Baskin-Robbins Korea removed the clip and posted an apology.
It insisted that the model’s parents were fully aware of the commercial’s concept and were present when it was filmed.
It said the aim was to “connect the image of Ella Gross, who has a confident and unique attitude despite her young age, to the image of ‘Pink Star.’”
“The make-up she was wearing was at the general level applied to other child models, and the dress she was wearing was also from a children’s clothing brand she is currently working for as a model,” the statement read.
“But we removed the image after accepting customers’ opinions,” The Korea Times reported.
However, the publication reported that the company had subsequently removed the statement from its website over criticism that it was simply making an excuse, rather than apologizing for the ad.
