A thin Gap model caused outrage among the clothing corporation's Twitter followers on Monday, with many calling for a more average sized model to replace her.
The tweet in question was unadorned, and featured the model in a plaid shirtdress on a neutral background.
As People magazine reported, the photo of the thin model was almost immediately condemned, and fans began to speculate and imply that the Gap model was skinny because she had an eating disorder.
While many roundly rejected the photo and the model portrayed, others began to push back against the detractors. They said it wasn't right to jump to conclusions, and that despite eating plenty of food, some people are just naturally rail thin. Thinness is not always a result of an eating disorder, they said, and pointed out that "thin-shaming" is just as bad as "fat-shaming."
The debate raged on, with some agreeing that it was not true, polite, or helpful to assume the model had an eating disorder, as she could be naturally thin. Still, others argued that because of the history of eating disorders among fashion models, and moreover because of the uncommonness of naturally waifish people, the fashion industry in general should shy away from promoting a look that for the vast majority of people would necessitate an eating disorder.
After the outcry began to pick up steam in the media, Gap issued a statement about the tweet in question, but did not weigh in on the model or her background.
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"Our intentions have always been to celebrate diversity in our marketing and champion people for who they are," said Gap Inc. spokesperson Edie Kissko.
"Upon reflection, we understand the sensitivity surround this photograph. Customer feedback is important to us and we think this is a valuable conversation to learn from."
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