Who: Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and Marks and Spencer (M&S)
Where: United Kingdom
When: 23 July 2025
Law stated as at: 18 August 2025
What happened:
Several ads for Marks and Spencer were challenged for being socially irresponsible, due to the models looking unhealthily thin. The ads in question were:
- Ads appearing on a website and app and in an email featuring images of two female models wearing a pink polka dot dress. One image showed one of the models leaning against a tree trunk, facing forwards with her arms behind her back.
- An app page featuring an image of a female model wearing slim fit trousers and a white top. She was depicted facing the camera with one hand in her pocket and the other holding a bag.
M&S confirmed that the ads featured size 8 models, which is at the lower end of its sizing range. The company explained that all the models in their ads were selected not only for their professional suitability but also for their health and wellbeing. M&S said that it was its standard practice to ensure that all models were in good health, and that it complied with industry standards and best practices to avoid promoting unhealthy body images.
The ASA upheld the complaint in relation to ad (2) only.
The ASA acknowledged that in the ads in (1), the model’s collar bones were visible, likely due to the position of her arms behind her back. However, it did not consider that the model’s face looked gaunt, noting that, while thin, her arms and the leg visible in the shot, did not show protruding bones. The model appeared in proportion. Therefore, the ASA considered that she was not presented as unhealthily thin overall.
In ad (2), the model’s shoulders and the very top of her chest were shown with prominent collar bones, emphasised by her left hand being in her pocket and arched outwards. The ASA said that the model appeared thin and the large pointed shoes she was wearing emphasised the slenderness of her legs. Additionally, due to the camera angle being tilted downwards, her head appeared out of proportion with her body, further highlighting her small frame.
M&S said that the model’s pose was intended to convey confidence and ease, not to accentuate slimness, and that the shoes had been chosen for stylistic purposes. However, the ASA concluded that the model’s pose and the choice of clothing gave the impression that the model was unhealthily thin. The ad was therefore irresponsible.
Why this matters:
This is another ad in a series of recent ASA rulings in the fashion sector relating to body image. Advertisers need to make sure that models portrayed in their ads are not only healthy in real life, but also do not appear unhealthy thin in ads. As shown by this ruling, it can be a fine line between when a model might appear healthy or unhealthy, and the ASA will take into consideration factors such as posture, camera angle and clothing style.
