Two Zara adverts banned over promoting 'Unhealthy' body image

New Delhi: Two fashion adverts by Zara have been banned by the UK’s advertising watchdog for featuring models who appeared “unhealthily thin,” according to a report by the BBC. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) found that the imagery used in the campaigns was “irresponsible” and must not appear again in its current form.

The ruling follows complaints regarding two Zara adverts that were displayed on the retailer’s app and website as part of a carousel showcasing clothing items. One image promoted a short dress, while the other featured a shirt. In both cases, the ASA concluded that the styling and poses accentuated the models’ thinness in a way that breached advertising standards.

In one advert, shadows and a slicked-back hairstyle contributed to the model appearing “gaunt,” according to the ASA. The watchdog also noted that “shadows were used to make the model’s legs look ‘noticeably thin’” and said “the positioning of her upper arms and elbow joints made her look ‘out of proportion’.”

The second banned image focused on a model wearing a shirt in a pose that highlighted her collarbones. The ASA said the model’s positioning made “protruding” collarbones a “focal feature” of the advert.

Zara, which has since removed the adverts in question, stated that both models had been medically certified as healthy at the time the photographs were taken. The retailer also said it had not received any direct complaints about the images.

In its response to the ASA, Zara said none of the photos had been digitally altered beyond “very minor lighting and colouring edits.” It also claimed compliance with recommendations set out in the 2007 Fashioning a Healthy Future report from the UK Model Health Inquiry, specifically, the guideline that models “should provide a medical certificate attesting their good health from doctors with expertise in recognising eating disorders.”

The ASA investigated two additional Zara adverts but did not find them in breach of advertising standards.

This development comes amid broader scrutiny over the portrayal of body image in fashion advertising. In July, Marks & Spencer had an advert banned for featuring a model who was also deemed “unhealthily thin.” The ASA criticised the advert’s styling, noting that “large pointed shoes” had exaggerated “the slenderness of her legs.”

Earlier in the year, retailer Next was similarly reprimanded for an advert promoting skinny jeans. The ASA said it used camera angles that “emphasised the thinness of the model’s legs” and labelled the ad “irresponsible.” Next disputed the ruling, stating that the model had a “healthy and toned physique.”