'Unhealthily underweight model' Yves Saint Laurent advert banned

An Elle reader complained that the advert was 'irresponsible' for featuring a model who was unhealthy

A Yves Sant Laurent (YSL) ad in Elle UK magazine has been banned by UK's advertising watchdog for advertising an 'unhealthily underweight' model.

According to BBC, after an Elle UK reader complained that the model in the advert was too thin and unhealthy, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) censured the advert and stated "the model was unhealthily underweight in the image and the ad was irresponsible.”

The black and white ad shows the model lying on the ground in a black dress and wedges.

PHOTO: BBC

The ASA explained the reasoning behind the ban and said, "The model’s pose and the particular lighting effect in the ad drew particular focus to the model’s chest, where her rib cage was visible and appeared prominent, and to her legs, where her thighs and knees appeared a similar width, and which looked very thin, particularly in light of her positioning and the contrast between the narrowness of her legs and her platform shoes."

The ruling further said, "We told the advertisers to ensure that the images in their ads were prepared responsibly."

YSL, did not agree with the ruling and stated that it did not agree that the model was unhealthily thin but did not provide a detailed response. Elle UK told the watchdog it had no comment to make on the complaint.

The watchdog said that the ad must not appear again in its current form and called on advertisers to ensure images in their ads were created responsibly, reported CNN.

Twitter showed people's reactions to the #YSL #adban:

"How can we expect to feel confident about our bodies if we rarely see them reflected back at us?" #BeReal #YSL #adban

— Be Real (@BeReal_Campaign) June 3, 2015

I mean, no wonder the #YSL model is sprawled out on the floor. She probably passed out from malnourishment. pic.twitter.com/AQwFgV95uC

— Terry Stapleton (@TerryStapes) June 3, 2015

This #YSL ad was banned. She's #thin doesn't mean ppl will starve themselves. Do #Fat models encourage ppl to binge? pic.twitter.com/Js12FvivUb

— In my skinny dreams (@inmyskinnydream) June 3, 2015

There has been a recent escalation in the use of skinny models and critics are complaining that that is causing a damaging effect on women by promoting unhealthy and unrealistic body image ideas.

In April, a law was introduced in France which banned the use of catwalk fashion models deemed to be excessively thin.

Under the new law, modelling agencies which employ models below a certain Body Mass Index (BMI) level face fines or prison terms.

PHOTO: FABMAGAZINEONLINE

The law also penalises magazines which fail to state when photos have been retouched - with a fine of €37,500 or up to 30 per cent of the amount spent on the advertising featuring the model.

This is not one event when an ad has been banned for featuring such models. Last year a petition was started by a blogger in LA urging YSL to stop using “painfully thin models” in its advertisements. The petition garnered 50,000 signatures.

PHOTO: CHANGE.ORG

In 2011, the watchdog banned an online advert for the clothing brand Drop Dead, for using a girl in a bikini with “highly visible” hip, rib and collar bones.

PHOTO: CAMPAIGNLIVE

An ABC spokesperson told the BBC: "We applaud the ASA for taking the necessary action to ban the YSL advert on the grounds of it being 'irresponsible.'"

"While eating disorders are most often caused by underlying emotional issues or events, the impact of the media on vulnerable young people can act as a dangerous catalyst - triggering disordered thinking and behaviour," said the spokesperson.

"Adverts using underweight models are promoting a distorted image of beauty and yet this has become the norm in the UK."

PHOTO: THEHOOPLA