Warehouse ad showed unhealthily thin model, ASA finds

Warehouse said the model was a size 8 and was in a healthy weight range

Fashion retailer Warehouse has been told an image on its website made a model "appear unhealthily thin".

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) was responding to a complaint raised in February about a listing for an oversized biker jacket.

Manchester-based firm Warehouse said the size 8 model fell within the NHS standard of a "healthy weight".

However the ASA said the model's collar bone and torso appeared very thin and concluded the advert was irresponsible.

Warning: The article contains an image you may find distressing

It said in its ruling: "The ASA acknowledged that much of the model's arms and part of her body were obscured by a coat.

"However, her shoulder and upper arm were visible and appeared small and narrow.

"She was wearing a close-fitting bodysuit, also partially hidden by the coat, but her collar bone and torso nonetheless appeared very thin."

It added: "Because the pose and styling emphasised the model's narrow leg, pronounced hip and collarbones, we considered the ad gave the impression that the model was unhealthily thin and concluded the ad was irresponsible."

The Warehouse brand was bought by Boohoo after it went into administration in 2020

According to the ASA, Warehouse said they promoted body inclusivity and worked closely with model agencies to select those who represent women of all body types across the UK.

It added edits to images were limited to lighting and background adjustments.

The ASA concluded the ad must not appear again in its current form.

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It said: "We told Warehouse Fashions Online Ltd to ensure that the images in their ads were prepared responsibly and did not portray models as being unhealthily thin."

Warehouse has been approached by the BBC for comment.

The clothing chain went into administration in 2020, but was later bought by retailer Boohoo and now trades online.

If you've been affected by the issues raised in this article, you can find support at BBC's Action Line