The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned an online advert by Marks & Spencer for depicting a model who appeared “unhealthily thin”. The regulator had only received four complaints.
Three other models in ads were brought to the ASA’s attention but those ads were not banned.
The ads in question were contained in a website, two pages within an app and an email for Marks and Spencer, seen in April and May 2025.
Marks and Spencer responded that its “inclusive women’s wear clothing represented a full spectrum of sizes, ranging from 8 to 24.” The company added that its aim was to appeal to all customers and ensure inclusivity, as well as responsibly promoting aspirational fashion. It confirmed that “the models within the ads were size 8 and individuals at the lower end of their sizing range”. As standard practice, it added, the company ensured that all models were in good health, and that they complied with industry standards and best practices to avoid promoting unhealthy body images.
After receiving the complaint Marks & Spencer stated that it had amended the ads and removed the concerning images.
The ASA’s comments about the banned ad were that, “Ad (b) featured a model facing the camera, one hand in her pocket and the other holding a bag. The model’s shoulders and the very top of her chest were shown and her collar bones were also very prominent, emphasised by her left hand being in her pocket and being arched outwards. The model’s body appeared thin and she wore large pointed shoes which emphasised the slenderness of her legs. Further to that, in part due to the camera angle which appeared tilted downwards, the model’s head appeared out of proportion with the rest of her body and further highlighted her small frame. Therefore, we considered that the pose of the model and the choice of clothing meant the ad gave the impression that the model was unhealthily thin.
“For the above reasons, we concluded that the model in ad (b) appeared unhealthily thin and that the ad was irresponsible. The ad breached CAP Code (Edition 12) rule 1.3 (Social responsibility).
“We also investigated ads (a), (c) and (d) under CAP Code (Edition 12) rule 1.3 (Social responsibility), but did not find them in breach.”
