Yves Saint Laurent’s advertisement in Elle U.K. magazine has been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority after the agency declared it to be “irresponsible.”
The model in the fashion brand’s black-and-white image was decided by the ASA to be “unhealthily underweight.” She is pictured on the floor in a short,
black dress and platform heels, according to CNN.
An Elle reader made a complaint, leading to the ruling that found the photo’s lighting and pose draws attention to the model’s rib cage, which was “visible and appeared prominent.”
The ad also draws the viewer’s eyes to the model’s legs, according to the ASA, which added that “her things and knees appeared a similar width, and . . . looked very thin.” The contrast between the platform shoes and her narrow legs emphasized it even more.
The agency reported that Yves Saint Laurent disagreed that the model was too skinny, “but did not provide a detailed response.”
“The ASA ruling is not about whether this person in the picture is healthy, but whether the images of her are being used in a way that can have an irresponsible effect on others, and we are really pleased to see that they are taking action to uphold their responsibility for the social impact of adverts,” a representative from Beat, a U.K. charity supporting with eating disorders, told CNN.
The decision follow the National Health Services’ release of figures showing the number of U.K. teens who admit to having eating
disorders has double in three years, the BBC News reported.
France banned the use of excessively thin fashion models on catwalks in April, according to the BBC.
The ASA will not permit the ad in its current form to appear again.
Twitter users shared their distaste for the ultra-thin model in the ad:
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