The global clothing brand "Zara" faced sanctions from the UK advertising regulatory body after releasing an advertisement highlighting an excessively thin body shape.
According to BBC broadcasts and others on June 6 (local time), the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) of the UK recently made this decision regarding two Zara advertisements that came out last May.
The problematic advertisements featured images of one female model each, with the ASA pointing out that the model was described as "so thin it's harmful to health."
In the ad, the model is depicted in a white dress with shoulder straps exposed, appearing "emaciated," while in another advertisement, a woman wearing a white shirt was shown with collarbones that were "protruding to the extent of being bony," according to the ASA's judgment.
The ASA determined that these advertisements were "irresponsible" and decided to prohibit their publication without modification. It also warned Zara that all images needed to be "responsible."
Accordingly, Zara removed both problematic advertisements from its website and application.
Nevertheless, Zara submitted medical records indicating that the model in the advertisements had no health issues at the time of shooting, and clarified that only "a very slight amount of lighting and color correction was applied" in the ads.
In the UK, advertisements featuring excessively thin models have come under scrutiny this year.
Last month, the clothing brand "Marks & Spencer" received a ban from the ASA due to featuring a model who appeared "so thin it's harmful to health" in its advertisement.