The return of ultra-thin is not going unnoticed by the Advertising Standards Authority and the people who make complaints to it. Last month M&S had an online ad banned, and this week it’s Zara, which has had two pictures taken down for featuring “unhealthily thin” models who looked “out of proportion” with “protruding collarbones.”
“Overall,” the ASA said, “we considered that the pose of the model and the choce of clothing in the ad created the impression that the model was unhealthily thin… The styling of the image meant her collarbone was… a prominent feature of the image.”
Zara argued that the models were in good health and seemed to want credit for the fact that none of the images had been modified. A spokesperson said: “We are committed to responsible content and follow stringent guidelines in the selection and photographing of models as well as the selectin of images.”
Next had a jeans ad banned for the same offense in February. Is it the rise of diet drug Ozempic that has made thin acceptable again? Or has nineties nostalgia gone too far and taken us back to a time when no one had heard of body positivity?
Trusted, mainstream high street brands like Zara, M&S and Next ought to set a better example and help keep women’s bodies out of the headlines. Whether they look too thin or – like Sydney Sweeney – too voluptuous, it’s dispiriting that they continue to make the news.
