When controversy erupted over an image for Ralph Lauren's Blue Label — model Filippa Hamilton's body appeared to have been digitally retouched, so that she looked bobble-headed and emaciated — I was convinced that the image wasn't the original ad. I was sure that it had been retouched by one of those "thinspirational" proanorexia blogs you hear about which feature models Photoshopped, so that they look like Holocaust victims.
Wow, was I wrong. A spokesperson for Ralph Lauren made this comment about the controversial image:
"For over 42 years, we have built a brand based on quality and integrity. After further investigation, we have learned that we are responsible for the poor imaging and retouching that resulted in a very distorted image of a woman’s body. We have addressed the problem and going forward will take every precaution to ensure that the caliber of our artwork represents our brand appropriately."
Website Boing Boing was first to criticize the image by saying, "Dude, her head's bigger than her pelvis." When Ralph Lauren asked them to take the image down, claiming copyright infringement, they refused, citing fair use laws that that allow for the reproduction of images "for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting."
Maybe this will be a message to the cabal of Photoshoppers gone wild who don't seem to recognize that they're contributing to the unrealistic body images that make normal women feel inadequate. When an uberthin model isn't thin enough for the fashion industry, something is seriously wrong.
Havaianas
That doesn't even look good and it really doesn't want to make me buy those clothes. I believe people can be skinny and still very healthy but not like that.
1Why would they photoshop her? She's gorgeous and thin without it. The photoshopped image is hideous.
2This is completely beside this point, but Boing Boing did an article about my art a while back. You can see it if you do a search for Brianna Spacekat.
Cory Doctorow, the editor, is awesome on these topics. He's drop dead sexy too.
3WTF? I don't understand how polished veteran Magazine editors can let that pass on to the stands without say WOE!
This image is not only unrealistic it's completely alien. At least some women are thin but this is warped.
4That is probably the most bizarre, grotesque ad I've ever seen. Ew.
5Oye Vey.. Thats just wrong
6she looks like the Steve Madden ads where the "models" were SUPPOSED to look like huge heads on tiny bodies (like here: http://www.focusonshoes.com/steve_madden.jpg). while ridiculous, anyone who looks at that ad realizes that visually you're supposed to see that distinction. this Ralph Lauren ad is just gross. bodies don't look like that.
7That is really bad
8I know exactly what you're talking about mamasita. Like you said, at least Madden's not trying to pass that off as a real person!
9I was so disappointed when I first saw this ad. I'm glad they've owned up to their error.
10Wow, that pic is horrible.
11spacekat, would love to read that !!
12I agree Tres, it is a sad day. I fear RL has created fodder for the pro Ana websites.
13ugh, that's disgusting... yet another reason why I can truly dislike Ralph Lauren
14Scary!
15f*cking disgusting.
16i hope someone gets fired.
17I can't comprehend how this image managed to get by so many editors at RL before it went to print. She looks like some weird bobble headed Barbie. Wasn't there anyone who stood up and shouted "this girl looks like a freak - who did this to her - who thinks this looks attractive??" The fact that it made it to print is scary.
18she has a great body "look at the white dress", but she looks sick in the other picture
19I understand magazine photos are touched up and tweaked, but this so over-the-top it's funny. It's like it's meant to be comical, or a social comment. But it's not, so it's just sad. Don't think you'll ever find someone with those proportions in real life.
20I just don't get why it was done that way in the first place. She's still skinny in the white dress pic, but I'll say still healthy. But she in no way needs to be skinnier than that. I consider that to be the cutoff point. Why even photo-shop her thinness at all??
21Wasn't RL going to sue the website that spotlighted the pic for copyright infringement in the beginning? I think the majority of people are outraged about it, so he did a 180. There needs to be a law that states you must put a disclaimer on ad pics that have been altered.
22Yeah, it helps if I read until the end, I suppose.
23choochoo I like your idea of putting disclaimers on photos that have been retouched/photoshopped etc. I think it could be helpful to girls/womens self images when they're looking through these magazines.
24This photo is scary, but even more scary is the fact that they *published* it. Clearly, whoever supervised the ad campaign felt this photo was just right.
25Everybody is all angry about this one photo which is over the top. But every single day, magazines crop inches off of their models' thighs, arms, tummies, rearends. Erase wrinkles. Even put different bodies on the faces of celebs. Come on! This is normal.
26How is a female of any age supposed to hold on to a realistic self image?
Funny thing is, I've met Filippa in real life a couple of times because she's dating an ex-coworker of mine and she's beautiful and seems naturally thin, but not scary bonethin. She looks healthy. she eats!! good for her!!
27I agree with genesisrocks.
28She doesn't look like a real person in that pic on the left (disproportionate body--almost looking like a bobble head doll), and she looks great in the white gown.
29Unless the ad is supposed to make her look unrealistic body-wise, I'd say that, the real model body is thin and proportionate enough to not be photoshopped.
spacekatgal, I LOVE YOUR ART WORK. I love drawing things like that, but never quite develop it.
I'm going to bow down to you now...
:bow:
30The photo looks photoshopped. What's wrong with normal sized women? Seeing things like this makes me have more respect for Dove that uses normal sized women.
I don't worry about myself esteem, but I worry about when I start having kids.
31I think it's safe to say that every picture we see in the media has been photo shopped. Half the time I can't even recognize the person on the cover because their face or body has been changed to the extreme. The whole thing irks me.
I don't mind a little bit of touching up but when it comes to changing women to look like this.....
The tool on photoshop that is used to do this to women is called the 'distort tool' - how appropriate .
32Makes me wonder if this was "accidentally on purpose." Nothing creates a nice buzz like a scandal...and what is more scandalous (and yet consistent) in the fashion industry these days than an model's thighs? I think someone at RL got a raise and a promotion for this because an entirely different audience and media demographic is seeign this and talking about RL. People might say the talk is negative, but we all know at the end of the day that buzz is buzz.
33ive seen spiders with fatter legs than that
34That picture looks aweful. Like Barbie. Nobody is really that thin. And if she was that thin she'd probably be in the hospital for malnourishment caused by anorexia or bulemia
35THE INDUSTRY IIS DISPICTABLE AND I AM SO PLEASED THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE OUT THERE TO EXPOSE THEM!
36She's not thin enough to be a model, no wonder they tried to retouch her.
37I don't get why this pic would even pass for attractive, even if I was skinny, I would deem that pic as very unattractive...even the clothes look bad. What is wrong with this company...oh right the same company that creates new big fat emblems on polos. Does anyone not realize how dumb these people are in the fashion world? Why give up your money to these clowns? Hideous!
38Maybe they were going for "starving-recessionista-just-climbed-out-of-the-dumpster"? What a joke... all attention is good attention in advertizing!
39perfect for halloween, looks like a skeleton.
40am i the only one that doesnt have a problem with this picture? who cares.
41do you suppose someone at the magazine decided to have a little fun one day and slipped this version in at the last moment.
42She looks so weird, like a freak, that isnt attractive or sexy, I think it was a goof, he is pretty normal compared to most designers, I dont think he would sabbotage himself.
43The model looks so unatural in the photo. I'm sure most people would not be lead into thinking this is the norm figure.
44What was so wrong with her figure before that they thought they needed to photoshop her...the picture of her on the left just makes her look like a freak.
45they photoshopped her so much b/c they told her she was getting fat and then they fired her!!!!! she is so beautiful and has an amazing body, shame on ralph lauren
46@ spacekatgal. just saw a pic of Cory Doctorow..drop dead sexy....ummmm, not so much.
47umm from the comments. Raulph Lauren needs to reevaluate the female perspective. We don't think skeletons are hot. Size 2 is plenty thin enough
48Who actually cares about this?? I teach my daughters that runway models are not healthy, they are merely racks for clothes to be paraded down a runway on...really!
49There are kids in the USA that are starving and unhealthy, issues like this should be doted on, not 'super models', I use that term loosely...
I say two thumbs up to Boing Boing for criticizing the ad on their website, and for sticking to their convictions when asked to take it down.
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