Urban Outfitters Forced To Remove Ad Of Model With Thigh Gap Because It's "Irresponsible And Harmful"

Body positivity only counts when you're not skinny, I guess.

Resurfaced posts show that retailer Urban Outfitters was forced by the UK's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) to remove a photo of a thin model with a thigh gap from its website. This happened in 2015, so we can only imagine how much worse the censorship has gotten in the meantime.

The watchdog organization ordered the website to remove an image of a slender model wearing lingerie after an anonymous complaint. They believed that the woman with a thigh gap was too thin. "The ASA considered that the model was very thin and noted, in particular, that there was a significant gap between the model's thighs, and that her thighs and knees were a similar width," their ruling read. They explained that Urban Outfitter's customers are generally young and determined that "using a noticeably underweight model was likely to impress upon that audience that the image was...something to aspire to."

"We therefore concluded that the ad was irresponsible," they added.

Urban Outfitters responded that the model is not "underweight" and has a 23.5-inch waistline and "a naturally tall and slim physique."

It would've been understandable if ASA got rid of an ad that depicted an overly photoshopped, unrealistic, sickly-looking woman. Instead, they did the opposite. They essentially banned a real and normal body type and suggested that thin physiques are not okay, which is a harmful narrative considering how some women are naturally built that way.

But here's the problem: ASA's actions – which supposedly aimed to protect young consumers from harmful beauty standards – ended up contributing to the stigmatization of naturally slender body types. By categorizing a skinny physique as "irresponsible" or unsuitable for public display (imagine being the model, by the way), the ASA reinforced a damaging narrative. They perpetuated the idea that only certain body shapes are acceptable, body-shaming thin individuals. I have naturally skinny friends who are insecure about their physiques and look similar to the Urban Outfitters model and who are trying everything they can to gain weight. What ASA did wasn't positive; they just fueled insecurities and contributed to a judgmental culture where individuals feel pressured to conform to the standard of what's "acceptable." Ironically, they contradicted the very essence of body positivity itself.

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