Feeling good in your skin isn’t the same as promoting a severely underweight frame and calling it a “healthy, toned physique.” In recent campaigns, Zara, Next, and M&S crossed that line. The 2025 M&S ad emphasised the model’s pointed shoes to draw attention to her thin legs, while Zara showcased a drawn, hollow face — a look that pushes unhealthy thinness as a criterion for style.

In 2025, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) banned a Next product image for portraying an “unhealthily thin” model. The image showed a model sitting on a wooden block, legs stretched toward the camera, wearing black leggings and heels. The low camera angle elongated her legs, and the tight fit emphasised their slimness.

In 2025, the ASA banned a Marks & Spencer ad for portraying what it called an “unhealthily thin” model. On paper, it was a simple clothing shot. In practice, it was a visual gamble — and the regulator ruled that gamble crossed the line.