Next whacked by watchdog for 'unhealthily thin' model

High street retailer Next has been battered by the ad watchdog for featuring an “unhealthily thin” model on its website, dismissing the retailer’s claims that she had a “healthy and toned physique that aligned with the nature of the product”.

The product listing for Dark Blue Power Stretch Denim Leggings was seen on the Next site in September last year and ad featured the model wearing the leggings, sat on a wooden block; her legs were extended closer to the camera.

But one complainant, who believed the model appeared unhealthily thin, challenged the Advertising Standards Authority to investigate whether the ad was irresponsible.

In its defence, Next said that its aim was to market the product in a way that was “authentic and responsible” and that it used models “ranging from slim to plus size”.

It did acknowledge that the model was slim, but argued the model’s proportions were “balanced”, particularly considering she was tall at 1.79 metres (5ft 9in), and that it had not digitally retouched her appearance.

However, Next admitted it had digitally altered the image of the leggings to make them look longer to “maintain focus on the product while avoiding any exaggeration of her body shape”.

The retailer concluded that the model had a “healthy and toned physique that aligned with the nature of their product”.

In its ruling, the ASA conceded the model’s face did not appear to be gaunt and that while her arms were slim they did not “display any protruding bones”. It said the shot had been set up at a low angle that “accentuated the models already tall physique [and] further emphasised the slimness of her legs”.

In other images in the same product listing the model did not appear unhealthily thin, but in this particular shot the different angle used “had a visible impact in the appearance of the model’s body”.

The watchdog said: “Because the pose, camera angle and styling in the ad investigated strongly emphasised the slimness of the model’s legs, we considered that the ad gave the impression that the model was unhealthily thin.

“We concluded that the ad was irresponsible and must not appear again in its current form. We told Next to ensure that the images in their ads were prepared responsibly and did not portray models as being unhealthily thin.”