Model images pulled from Zara's online platform amid UK criticism over thinness of featured models
In a recent development, fashion retailer Zara has removed two advertisements from its UK website following a complaint by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) over concerns about promoting unhealthy body images.
The controversial advertisements, which featured models who appeared "unhealthily thin," were banned by the ASA for breaching social responsibility rules. The first advertisement showed a model in a short dress, with shadows and an arm position making her legs appear unnaturally thin. The second advertisement, promoting a shirt, highlighted the model's protruding collarbones due to her pose and low-cut garment.
The ASA found that the first model's pose and clothing choice gave the impression of unhealthy thinness, as her arms, shoulders, and chest were very thin. Similarly, the ASA believed that the style, lighting, and clothing choice of the second image gave the impression that the model was excessively thin.
Zara complied with the ASA's ruling and removed the flagged advertisements. The company defended its practices by stating that the models had medical certificates verifying their good health at the time of the photoshoot. Zara also asserted that none of the images had been altered, except for minor adjustments to lighting and color.
The ASA's ruling highlights ongoing scrutiny of the fashion industry's representation of body image. The regulatory body has requested that the products are shown "responsibly" on Zara's website. This incident is not the first controversy about thinness in Zara's photos, and similar bans on advertisements by other retailers such as Marks & Spencer and Next earlier in the year reflect broader concerns about the social impact of promoting excessively thin body ideals.
Experts warn that normalizing unhealthy bodies can lead to eating disorders, adaptive problems, and a lack of self-acceptance. Comparing one's own body shape to models can lead to rejection of one's own body shape. Psychologist Sonia Lucena states that the normative body should have a necessary amount of fat.
More and more brands are using models of all sizes to show their clothes, but the list is still too short, according to psychologists. The ASA has requested that two of the images not appear again "in their current form." Zara has already modified the product listings where the controversial images appeared.
The ASA's website reported the removal of the images on Wednesday. The retailer follows the recommendations of the UK's Model Health Inquiry's Fashioning a Healthy Future report, which suggests asking models to present a medical certificate to prove their good health. The report aims to promote healthy model standards in the fashion industry.
- In light of the ASA's ruling, it seems that the fashion industry, including brands like Zara, needs to reconsider their approach to body image representation in health-and-wellness, mental-health, lifestyle, fashion-and-beauty advertisements, ensuring they present a more diverse and healthy image to the public.
- The averagely built body can potentially serve as a positive influence on individuals, fostering a healthier self-image and self-acceptance, instead of the current trend of promoting excessively thin bodies depicted in fashion-and-beauty campaigns.
- Brands must understand the impact of unrealistic body images portrayed in advertising, as these ideals can lead to eating disorders, adaptive problems, and a lack of self-acceptance in individuals, and strive to adopt body-positive practices in their fashion-and-beauty, lifestyle, and health-and-wellness campaigns that prioritize mental-health aspects.
