The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has pulled up Spanish fast-fashion giant Zara for publishing advertisements featuring models who appeared “unhealthily thin.” Two ads have been banned following concerns that they glamorised extreme thinness and promoted irresponsible standards of beauty.
According to the ASA, one model in a Zara ad appeared “gaunt,” with her appearance further accentuated by the use of shadows and hairstyling. Another ad featured a model whose sharply visible collarbones, combined with lighting and posture, created an impression of an unhealthily slender physique. These images, the regulator said, breached norms around responsible advertising and risked normalising unrealistic and potentially harmful body standards.
What was wrong with the Zara ads?
The censored visuals had been published on Zara’s app and website, with one campaign promoting a short dress and another, a collared shirt. While no direct consumer complaints were filed, the ASA initiated an investigation and ruled that the content was “irresponsible” and should not appear again. Zara has since taken down the images, although the company maintained that both models had been medically certified as healthy and that the imagery underwent only minimal post-production tweaks involving lighting and colour.
Two additional Zara ads were also investigated but were not found to be in breach of advertising standards. Nonetheless, all flagged images have now been removed by the brand.
Happened with Marks & Spencer too
This incident comes weeks after British retailer Marks & Spencer (M&S) also faced regulatory heat for featuring a model perceived to be “unhealthily thin.” The ASA received four complaints against M&S ads published across the brand’s website, app, and email campaigns. Among the ads was an image of a model in a pink polka dot dress, with visibly prominent collarbones, and another wearing slim trousers and a white top. Despite M&S asserting that the models were size eight and selected based on health criteria and professionalism, the ASA deemed one ad “irresponsible” and ordered it to be withdrawn.
Fashion label Next faced a similar censure earlier this year when an ad featuring a slim model in leggings was banned on similar grounds. Although the company argued that the model was healthy and the pose intended to demonstrate fit, the ASA ruled otherwise.
The crackdown reflects growing sensitivity to the portrayal of body image in fashion advertising, especially in an era where social media trends such as “SkinnyTok” continue to romanticise unhealthy body types and restrictive diets. . A much more widespread threat goes unnoticed while authorities like the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) crack down on fashion brands for pushing unhealthy body ideals. Despite having a significant impact on young, impressionable audiences, digital platforms, especially user-generated ecosystems like TikTok’s “SkinnyTok”, remain largely unregulated. The very beauty standards that watchdogs are attempting to undermine through ad bans are reinforced by these places, which frequently exalt extreme thinness and constrictive lifestyles. In an industry where thinness is still the default aesthetic and where algorithms still reward it online, this begs the urgent question of whether regulatory action against traditional advertising will actually make a difference.