Fashion retailer Zara ads pulled after UK advertising watchdog deems models ‘unhealthily thin’

The British advertising regulator has pulled two advertisements for fashion chain Zara.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) found that two models appeared to be “unhealthily thin” in images on the brand’s website.

In an ad for a blouse, the regulator found the model’s “protruding collarbones” were emphasised by the way she had been styled and posed.

The other ad created a similar illusion of thinness, thanks to shadows on the model’s legs and the angling of her arms.

Zara removed the ads after the complaint, but denied that the images had been edited to alter the models’ appearance.

The Spanish retailer said both models had provided certificates of good health, in line with Britain’s regulatory recommendations.

Ads are required to be “prepared responsibly” in the UK, with a series of fashion brands facing complaints in the past year.

Under the New Zealand Advertising Standards Code advertisements must also adhere to rules around decency and offensiveness with a specific clause governing social responsibility around body image.

Concerns about social media’s impact on young people’s body image informed the Government’s newly proposed age-limit restrictions.

The ban will keep under-16s off social media in a bid to protect them from harmful content.

Correction: An early version of the story said New Zealand advertising did not have a code governing social responsibility around body image.