Selfridges Cleared After Email Complaint

A markeeting email sent by Selfridges to its customers has been cleared by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), after a complaint was made that the model pictured looked "unhealthily thin".

"We considered most people, including young children and women, would interpret the ad as focusing on the design and fit of the dress, rather than on desirable body image," said the ASA, adding that while the image emphasised the model's slenderness through her pose and clothing, she did not appear to look out of proportion. "We considered that, although the model was slim, she did not appear to be unhealthily thin or significantly underweight and therefore concluded the ad was not irresponsible."

Selfridges said the woman "was not positioned in a way that was intended to exaggerate her slimness", reports the BBC, and welcomed the ruling. It did, however, dispute that the email was an advert, saying it was a "fashion image sent to selected customers by email". A spokesperson for Selfridges told us this afternoon: “We welcome the representation of healthy bodies in all shapes and sizes.”

The issue of body image in promotional material is a discussion point which is seldom out of the news, with fashion brands finding themselves under scrutiny to promote a positive message to their consumers. Recently Saint Laurent found itself in the headlines, when it was asked by France's advertising watchdog, the Autorite de Regulation Professionnelle de la Publicite (ARPP), to modify two of its new advertisements after it received 50 complaints calling the ads "degrading to women".