Gucci ad banned due to impossibly skinny model

So, another fashion ad has been altered due to complaints received by advertising standards watchdog, the Advertising Standards Authority. Consumers worried that one of the young Gucci models featured in a recent campaign video glamorised an unhealthy body image.

Seen as underweight, the model was removed from the video where young models were seen going berzerk in an Italian villa, wearing the hottest new couture from Gucci’s S/S 2016 cruise collection.

But what really qualifies as unhealthily skinny though? Someone can be naturally skinny or actively working on becoming skinnier - it’s all in the method (and level of madness) they apply that makes all the difference.

And, many, like Guccio Gucci, the parent company of the fashion brand, say that it’s a very "subjective" thing. These models have slim frames, mos. Models are just built like that.

Yes, because, sadly, they have to be in order to survive in the industry.

With so few images that tell us otherwise, it has become normalised to see models that are gaunt and have child-like frames. Models are also posed to appear skinnier from certain angles, which could lead to dire results when the already-super skinny model is asked to pose in a certain manner which makes her appear even skinnier.

Other sources also claim that makeup plays a key role. Dark makeup can make a model appear skeletal and unhealthy. Yet, I would argue that we simply cannot blanket what the term “unhealthily skinny” means. This has to be considered on a case by case basis. However, certain weight to height standards (not necessarily BMI) should be put in place to ensure that models meet certain requirements and designers should be held accountable when opting to use a model who clearly does not meet the criteria. I would say, even if she is not actively starving herself, but appear too thin for an adult human woman.

Watch the video here: