An advert by high street retailer Marks & Spencer has been banned for featuring an “irresponsible” image of a model who appeared “unhealthily thin”.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said the model’s pose, choice of clothing and the camera angle which seemed to tilt downwards all contributed to the impression she was too thin.
The picture, which appeared on the M&S app, featured a model wearing slim-fit black trousers and a white off-the-shoulder top, where some of her upper torso can be seen.
She faced the camera with one hand in her pocket and the other holding a bag. The advertising watchdog described the model’s collarbones as “very prominent”.
It added that the model wore “large pointed shoes which emphasised the slenderness of her legs” and: “In part due to the camera angle which appeared tilted downwards, the model’s head appeared out of proportion with the rest of her body and further highlighted her small frame.”
M&S argued in its submission to the ASA that its “inclusive women’s wear clothing” represented sizes eight to 24. However, it acknowledged that the models in the ads were size eight, and therefore at the lower end of its sizing range.
The retailer said it “took concerns about the depiction of body image in their ads very seriously”, “all models were in good health”, and that it “complied with industry standards and best practices to avoid promoting unhealthy body images”.
The ASA ruled that the advert must not appear again in its current form and M&S must ensure all its images “did not portray models as being unhealthily thin”.
M&S confirmed that the images had been removed.
The ASA said it also received complaints about three other adverts on the M&S app, website and in an email for the company, where two models wear a pink polka-dot dress.
In its investigation, it said the model’s face “did not look gaunt”, adding that “while thin, her arms and the leg visible in the shot did not display any protruding bones”.
“The model appeared in proportion and we considered that she was not presented as unhealthily thin overall,” the ruling concluded.
The other images in the ad, which featured another model, also “showed the model in proportion. We also considered that the model did not appear unhealthily thin in those shots.”
The ruling comes amid concerns that the fashion industry is reversing progress made in the body positivity movement in the 2010s due to a recent trend towards skinnier models.
Earlier this year, the ASA banned a Next advert for featuring what it deemed an “unhealthily thin” model in digitally altered clothing.
In 2023, it banned Warehouse from using an image of a model in an oversized biker jacket, saying the model’s pronounced collar bone, hip bones and torso gave the appearance of her being “very thin”, which made the ad “irresponsible”.
M&S has been contacted for comment.