The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in UK Wednesday labelled a Gucci advert “irresponsible” for featuring an “unhealthily thin” model.
It has been banned from further use.
According to regulators, a model in the advert posed in a manner that elongated her torso and accentuated her waist, thereby making it appear really small. They went further to state that “somber facial expression and dark makeup, particularly around her eyes, made her look gaunt”.
Prior to this, it was revealed that an offending image of the model had appeared in an online video posted on the website of The Times of London in December. The authority stated that that image should not appear again in its current form. Though specific image had been removed from the Gucci YouTube channel, the model still appears in the ad directed by Glen Luchford.
Defending the ad, the Italian fashion brand said it was part of a video that portrayed a dance party that was certainly not meant for everyone; rather it was aimed at an older and sophisticated audience.
Gucci stated that while the models were slim, nowhere in the advert were their bones visible, their clothes were not revealing and the “lighting was uniform and warm to ensure there were no hollows caused by shadows”.
The clampdown has re-ignited the debate in the fashion industry on the body size and when thin is too thin.
