Opinion: The Marketing Society Forum - Should fashion advertisers use size-zero models?

in that it encourages the debate on body image.

It might be more effective to put an age limit on models in advertising.
Flat chests and snake hips may be the best way to showcase fashion, but
this doesn't have to mean a pre-pubescent body.

Retouching is also an issue. It makes all models' bodies identical,
which is an extremely unhealthy message. A more beneficial debate might
be whether advertisers should use retouched images of models in their
campaigns.

MIKE PHILIPSON, MANAGING DIRECTOR, PROPAGANDA

Using thin women in the advertising of fashion brands is usually to
engage with female consumers' sense of self-esteem. But I believe the
majority of women would aspire to Jennifer Aniston's shape over size
zero.

The group requiring urgent attention is the women, often with low
self-esteem, who aspire to the 'catwalk look'. Using bigger women is
only a cosmetic solution to a psychological issue.

By using size-zero models, fashion advertisers risk alienating the
majority of women and negatively affecting their sales. If the purpose
is to make a provocative brand statement, there is an increasingly
significant commercial risk associated with such a strategy.

STEVE HASTINGS, PLANNING PARTNER, ISOBEL

There is no such thing as a size zero in Britain and while most
designers create size-eight clothes for their models, the average woman
is size 14.

I can't think of any good reason for allowing size-zero models. Smoking
models are not allowed in advertising for the good reason that smoking
kills. This should extend to super-thin models.

We've had two recent reminders that anorexia kills after the deaths of
models Luisel Ramos and Ana Carolina Reston. Aesthetically there is a
fine line between chic and freak.

Some models are so gaunt they detract from the clothes. As a father of
teenage girls, I don't want size-zero models to make them feel they are
fat.

CHRIS HIRST, MANAGING DIRECTOR, GREY LONDON

What do we mean by size zero? To some extent I think it is an over-hyped
media-generated label as shorthand for young women starving themselves.
In this sense, should advertisers use young women who are starving
themselves? Absolutely not.

Should fashion advertisers be allowed to use thin women? Yes, if it
seems appropriate, if it is the right model, and the right fit. Gucci
and Prada have always tried to capture the zeitgeist and they need
models who reflect that. They might use curvy figures one month or
androgynous the next. These brands need to be on the edge.

The real question is whether advertisers should use unnaturally thin
women in their advertising. Probably not.