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October 8, 2009

Blog and Ralph Lauren Fight over Thin Model Ad

Funny vs. fashion -- it's an internet brawl of super skinny proportions! BoingBoing.net and Ralph Lauren are bickering over an ad featuring a model who appears to have been photoshopped to look incredibly thin.

Rail-thin bodies in the media have been under fire for portraying unhealthy role models and contributing to the development of eating disorders.

A post on Boing Boing slams the Lauren ad because the model's unnaturally thin figure isn't even in proportion to her head. The site posted the ad with model Filippa Hamilton and the caption, "Dude, her head's bigger than her pelvis."

Blog and Ralph Lauren Fight over Skinny Model Ad

Ralph Lauren responded by accusing the website of copyright infringement for publishing the ad. Boing Boing claims this is "classic fair use: a reproduction 'for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting.'"

On Thursday, Polo Ralph Lauren released the following statement about the retouched ad: "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."

Underweight models were banned from the fashion week catwalk in Madrid back in 2006. More recently, Miss Universe Australia was criticized for her skeletal frame during the competition.

"Extra" wants to know: Does this distort your image of beauty?

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I’d passion to plenty true level with that too!


- Khorj
Posted 11/19/09 03:01 PM
 

Why hello associated forum people! I right-minded wanted to interpose myself here as this looks like a vastly interesting forum! I myself am engrossing in things like writeing and computer fixing up so if anyoune needs help farm out me know! I also Suffer from Sciatica so if you aslo include this infection cause to me know so we can share out some stretches!


- grinybriply
Posted 11/17/09 01:28 AM
 

Hey everyone just wanna say hello and introduce myself!


- bibeswaffow
Posted 11/15/09 07:30 PM
 

Hey there everyone i was just introduceing myself here im a first time visitor who hopes to become a daily reader!


- grinybriply
Posted 11/14/09 08:50 PM
 

Ah!!! at last I found what I was looking for. Somtimes it takes so much effort to find even tiny useful piece of information.
Nice post. Thanks


- Car Insurance Guy
Posted 11/10/09 04:18 PM
 

Ah!!! at last I found what I was looking for. Somtimes it takes so much effort to find even tiny useful piece of information.
Nice post. Thanks


- Auto Insurance Guy
Posted 11/08/09 12:09 AM
 

Ah!!! at last I found what I was looking for. Somtimes it takes so much effort to find even tiny useful piece of information.
Nice post. Thanks


- Auto Insurance Guy
Posted 11/07/09 11:23 PM
 

Nice post as for me. I’d like to read more about that topic.


- Steave
Posted 10/25/09 10:11 AM
 

I think this is a shame on how Ralph Lauren is treating his models. He is not expecting them to eat healthy at all, but instead causing them to starve. Ralph Lauren does cater to the medium built generation and I think if we stop buying his clothing then he will know that we are not taking this thing lightly. This young lady was fired for gaining 2 pounds not 8, but 2 pounds that she could have lose easily. Do you think this is fair?


- Anonymous
Posted 10/14/09 06:37 PM
 

wow! i think this girl is beautiful! and sexy! wow! she has no fat at all! but the media! is nasty! and i dont like people that fire others cuZ they are FAT! LMAO!


- ALEN
Posted 10/14/09 06:02 PM
 

No she is not “just right” Samantha. And plus size models are beautiful too and deserve to be treated well just like thiner models.

Vxx- I find your comments hateful, biased and disgusting.

Seeing people as a “plauge” is disgusting. Weightism is just as bad as racism or sexism. It’s wrong. Fat people are HUMAN BEINGS not a plague. Being fat does NOT mean you’re lazy, stupid, gluttonous, sinful, weak-willed, or a plague. You’ve been indoctrinated. You should try to think for yourself.


- Lexie Di
Posted 10/13/09 12:24 PM
 

Beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder. And as humans, we ALWAYS go for what is the exact opposite of our natural state of being. Go to MSN.com and type in Forced to be Fat. The girls in the village actually do resemble the model in the RL add (within reason) and are forced to eat 16000 calories a day to be “beautiful”.


- Caine
Posted 10/12/09 01:25 PM
 

Ralph Lauren’s actions here are disgusting. No, not the ad (though that’s pretty gross too, but whatever), their attempt to get BoingBoing’s ISP to remove the ad with legal threats. The BB crew is incredibly lucky they have an ISP who doesn’t automatically cave to such bullying, which is frankly the enemy of expression everywhere. The skinniness of the model is just a sideshow; the real story is RL’s attempt to abuse copyright law to effect censorship.


- /b
Posted 10/09/09 09:42 AM
 

It distort MY image of beauty… it just confirms for me that “Ralph Lauren” and its brethren are moronic wastes of energy and creates even less respect for people that dote on their products.

Fit women who aren’t fat is something the US desperately needs more of in our plague of obesity. Trying to be thinner isn’t a crime — not teaching women HOW to be thinner is. (“eat less crap, move more” seems to be hard to grasp) All the above applies to the fatlard men as well.


- Vxx
Posted 10/09/09 09:40 AM
 

Richard….. You might know what she looks like but what about the 12 year old little girl looking at that picture that stops eating because she thinks she is to fat? They need to start realizing who they are effecting with this messed up image they keep giving to young women.


- Anonymous
Posted 10/09/09 06:27 AM
 

you know the picture is distorted so whats the problem. If everyone knows it is not a real exact image i dont see a problem with it. I think she is hott, becuase I know what the real model looks like in real life. its just a photo people.


- richard
Posted 10/09/09 04:15 AM
 

Fat Sucks


- steve
Posted 10/09/09 03:36 AM
 

The modeling industry should love all sizes. You either have to be a double zero or 14+ to model. We need to focus on natural beauty not your dress size.


- Anonymous
Posted 10/08/09 09:56 PM
 

Wow, Samantha… “just right”? Really? You are aware that the only reason this picture is on this site at all is because human bodies aren’t shaped like that. Period. Crystal Renn, by the way, is a size 12, and she looks HEALTHY. Since when is looking healthy bad?

Oh and fyi: capitals. Learn to use them correctly.


- Sarah
Posted 10/08/09 07:14 PM
 

Designer Ralph Lauren isnt doing anything wrong.That young woman is Just Right.Blog needs to mind its own Business.That young woman is a good Role model for young women.The Bad Role model is Plus-size model Crystal Renn.Shes Telling young women to be plus-size.That setting a Bad Example for young women.


- Samantha
Posted 10/08/09 05:44 PM

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