Overview

• The ASA upheld a complaint about two May adverts displaying an oversized shirt and a voluminous short dress that made models appear unhealthily thin.
• Regulators found the shirt ad’s low neckline and pose highlighted protruding collarbones while shadows and styling in the dress ad exaggerated the models’ slim legs.
• Zara removed the flagged images upon notification and emphasized that both models had medical certificates confirming their good health and that only minor lighting and colour edits were applied.
• The watchdog ruled that neither advert must reappear in its current form and directed Zara to ensure all future campaigns comply with CAP Code social responsibility provisions.
• This marks the ASA’s third major fashion ad ban this year following similar judgments against Next in February and Marks & Spencer in July.