February 12th 2025.
The Advertising Standards Agency recently banned a Next advert for featuring a model with "unhealthily thin" legs. Just when we thought we were making progress towards promoting wellness over thinness and strength over skinniness, Next comes along and shows us that we still have a long way to go.
The ad in question was for Next's power stretch denim leggings and it's easy to see why it caused such an uproar. The model's legs looked shockingly, almost impossibly, thin. When I first saw the ad, I couldn't help but fixate on the model's legs and wonder how it was even physically possible. Then, I became angry that society still expects women to look like that. And finally, I just felt tired and disappointed.
According to the Advertising Standards Agency, Next admitted to digitally altering the image to make the leggings appear lower on the model's ankle, but claimed that the focus was still on the product. However, the ad was deemed "irresponsible" due to the pose, camera angle, and styling. As a result, the ad will no longer appear in its current form.
Some people have argued in defense of the ad, claiming that it's not promoting thinness, but rather just featuring a slim model. Others have questioned why ads featuring obese individuals are not also banned. But here's the thing - it's not the same. Obesity is not a mental health condition, but eating disorders like anorexia are the most fatal of all mental illnesses.
While there are certainly naturally slim women, for the majority of us, achieving this type of "ideal" thinness can only be done through extreme measures such as starvation. And that's why I am thankful for the Advertising Standards Agency for protecting us from these harmful images. I know firsthand the toll that they can take.
At the age of 16, I developed anorexia and have struggled with it on and off since then. At its worst, I received psychiatric treatment as an outpatient for three years. The impact of this disorder has been devastating - both physically and psychologically. I have been left with digestive issues, bone problems, and chronic anemia. And mentally, anorexia consumed my life and led to depression and despair.
But the effects of eating disorders go beyond the individual. It also impacts friends and family who fear for their loved one's health and survival. My own mother used to have nightmares about my death. It also affected my ability to perform at work, ultimately impacting my colleagues and the children I worked with at the time. I had to rely on already stretched NHS resources to get better.
The roots of eating disorders are complex and personal, but for me, it was heavily influenced by the societal pressure for extreme thinness in the 90s and early 2000s. Being a size zero was seen as the ultimate goal and anything less was deemed unacceptable.
If you or someone you know may be struggling with an eating disorder, please reach out to BEAT for help and support. It's important to get appropriate treatment and not suffer in silence. Celebrities are also not immune to the pressure to be thin, and many have even shared their own battles with body dysmorphia. But let's be real, it's mostly women and girls who are targeted and impacted by this constant promotion of thinness.
Nostalgia for the early 2000s is all over social media, and with it, the return of the "heroin chic" aesthetic. Thin bodies are everywhere, especially during award show season. Even celebrities whose fan base is primarily young women are promoting their work with protruding collarbones and impossibly tiny waists. It's no wonder that skinny jeans are back in style.
In the past, we could blame magazines for promoting the thin ideal. But now, it's everywhere. We can't escape it. And while we could maybe excuse the fashion industry for their obsession with thinness, when a brand like Next - known for its inclusive sizing - promotes it, it's clear that the problem runs deep.
Digitally altered ads are nothing new, and brands like L'Oreal and Gucci have faced similar bans in the past. A quick scroll through Instagram will show you countless filtered and tweaked images of women who supposedly represent what we want to see. But at what cost? We are constantly bombarded with the message that being thin is the key to success and happiness.
A single banned ad may not seem like a big deal, but it's just the latest example of history repeating itself. We are once again encouraging a generation of young people to be ashamed of their bodies and hateful towards their appearance. And this will only lead to more physical and psychological health issues that our already struggling healthcare system will struggle to handle.
It's easy to think of "women" as a monolithic group who should know better or try harder. But let's remember that it's our mothers, sisters, and daughters who are affected by this toxic message. They are the ones who cry themselves to sleep because they feel like they don't measure up. They are the ones who are made to feel like their worth is tied to their weight.
If you have a story to share, please reach out by emailing Ross.email. And let's continue this conversation in the comments below.
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