A product listing on a Manchester fashion retailer’s website irresponsibly featured a model who appeared unhealthily thin according to a ruling made today by the Advertising Standards Authority.
The image which appeared on Warehouse’s website, www.warehousefashion.com, seen on 5 February 2023 an oversized longline biker jacket featured an image of a model wearing the jacket over a black high cut bodysuit. The jacket was draped off her left shoulder and her legs were fully exposed. The model was posing with her left leg bent out to the side.
The complainant, who believed the featured model appeared unhealthily thin, challenged whether the ad was irresponsible.
In their defence Warehouse Fashions said that they believed that the image did not present the model as appearing unhealthily thin. They said that the model wore a UK size 8 and that, because she had a BMI which fell within the NHS standard of a “healthy weight”, it would be wrong to suggest that the image presented her in an irresponsible manner.
Although they noted the concerns raised by the complainant, they did not consider using a naturally thin model in advertising to be socially irresponsible. They believed that, due to prevailing standards in society around the perception of body types, it would be insensitive to label the model as promoting an “unhealthy” and “thin” body type.Warehouse also said that they promoted body inclusivity and that they worked closely with model agencies to select models who represent women of all body types across the UK.
They said that models were styled in a manner which positively reflected their body shape and that they carefully selected imagery which represented both their products and models in the best possible way.
Warehouse said that they recognised the importance of how bodies were presented in ads and that edits to images were limited to lighting and background adjustments.
The ASA acknowledged that much of the model’s arms and part of her body were obscured by a coat.
However, her shoulder and upper arm were visible and appeared small and narrow. She was wearing a close-fitting bodysuit, also partially hidden by the coat, but her collar bone and torso nonetheless appeared very thin.
They also considered that both her legs were shown in a manner which made the model appear unhealthily thin and that the pose and styling of her legs emphasised her slimness in a manner which made her appear unhealthily thin.
in their ruling they said that because the pose and styling emphasised the model’s narrow leg, pronounced hip and collarbones, they considered the ad gave the impression that the model was unhealthily thin and concluded the ad was irresponsible.
