Sadiq Khan shouldn't be able to tell us what is an unhealthy body

[feellikeahugefailure]

So the London Mayer has banned adverts with “Unhealthy or Unrealistic” body images. Doesn't this just all feed into people these days unaware of what a healthy body image is? This woman is in great shape and looks very healthy to me.

Sorry if there has been a post on this, I find the advanced search here not that great.

Rebel, I don't think the ad generates an empowering message at all, on the contrary. However, the model is depicted in an 'empowered' pose, she is standing tall and the camera has captured from a low-angle making her appear imposing and strong. This is of course a myth as in the ads narrative she relies on those crappy pills to 'empower' her. IYSWIM...

branofthemist - I can confirm it was airbrushed as I know some of the people involved with producing it.

By the by, I worked in print journalism for years and have seen lots of un-airbrushed photos of celebrities and models before publication. They are undoubtedly very attractive (and often very slim) to start with but the airbrushing adds a whole new layer of fairy sparkle to the images: porcelein skin; sharper cheekbones; brighter eyes. Often the airbrushing with models is to eliminate their thinness - prominent bones and scrawn will be brushed out, a little of shadow added around the cleavage to suggest plumper, perter breasts, buttocks rounded a bit etc.

RebelRogue, if someone told my DD that, I would imagine she would reply that they were being rude. I don't get your point, this is an advert and it is not saying size x isn't allowed on the beach, its trying to sell a product.

It's no different than an advert smell shaming a man into using Febreze so their house is acceptable to women?

Its acceptable because we live in a free world not a dictatorship.

Milk i have no issues with the model at all...i have an issue with the slogan/message. That's what i'm focusing on it doesn't matter if a person telling you your body is not beach ready is a size 0,10 or 16. It's still a dickish move and a shitty thing to say to someone. The adds i have an issue with are the ones that say you need to look like this to go to the beach,go to prom,go on a date,be happy,be successful etc. Hope this makes sense.

I can confirm it was airbrushed as I know some of the people involved with producing it.

Thank you lala

www.gov.uk/government/publications/body-confidence-a-rapid-evidence-assessment-of-the-literature

Publications promoting positive body image and challenging cultural messages that undermine people’s confidence and resilience.

Rebel - you have an issue with all of them. That does make sense!

It does bother me that SK has not thought this through properly though and I'd like to know where he draws the line and why as he is the one issuing the ban.

If I had Twitter or FaceAche I'd ask!!!

Can we get him to talk about the Daily Mail's sidebar if shame next and the rags obsession with women's bodies and shaming them. Not just the DM - remember the hoohaar when Julia Roberts had an hint of underarm hair on show. I hate some if the pics and adverts on display, especially to my kids.

Did I miss the memo that adverts are now only allowed to show us people that look exactly like us?

I'm never going to be a cool 22-year-old black woman with loads of friends laughing uproariously in my beautiful flat while i eat Doritos- does that mean that advert should be banned too?

I'm never going to be a gorgeous square-jawed hunk driving a car round an Italian city either (not male/not square jawed/not gorgeous/can't drive) but I seem to be able to see those adverts without feeling terrible about myself.

Adverts have always been aspirational and the aspirations have generally been unachievable for the vast majority of people. This is just pandering to fat activism.

I think it's fine to use whichever model they choose, the problem is that the standards are now set so high the models don't even look like models without airbrushing

Milk well we would have to know if he banned it because of the model,the slogan,or the message that the slogan combined with the model send. If he banned it purely because the model is skinny then yes that's daft. If he plans to ban any adds with skinny models that's also daft. If he plans to ban adds that send the wrong message whether the model is skinny or not then that's fine.

It's also up for debate if unhealthy refers to size and looks or mental health. People do get depressed,shamed,get self esteem issues,bullied,etc based on these adds. They might not be the only factor,but they are a contributing factor.

But adverts are all bollocks!

The rubbish on the first page of this thread is jaw dropping - saying the model is 'unhealthily thin', that you 'shouldn't be able to see ribs', that it makes people 'feel bad' because they'll never be 5'10 - I mean anyone with any sense knows that adverts are all unobtainable aspirations, whether the aspiration is to own expensive things, travel to exotic places, have loads of friends and go to posh parties all the time, or look like an airbrushed model.

The solution to being overweight is not to hide all pictures of slim people!

Nobody is suggesting that all pictures of slim people are hidden. They are suggesting that they shouldn't be accompanied by slogans which suggest you are only ready for the beach of you are slim.

Jolly maybe with improved processing power and computer-generated imagery the profession will die out sooner or later.

10 - this is true. Proteus - good points, although we can all aspire to achieve most of those things in an arguably meritocratic society, and I agree in some respects that it's right to promote healthy lifestyle and aim to have as healthy a body as possible, but the picture is unrealistic and the message is shaming for those who want to go to a beach without having put in the work/been genetically blessed to look like that

It's a nasty below-the-belt advert for weight-loss pills which implies hat women shouldn't hit the beach unless or until they have a similar body to the model the company employed. I'm not surprised there was a public backlash and good on Mr Khan for responding to public feeling and banning it.

Sorry, not some respects. Promoting health is always important. There are ways of achieving this and this advert isn't one of them

Does no one sense/see the difference between "unhealthy body" and "unhealthy body image"? Just me ?

What do you mean she needs to 'cover up'??

Mum it's a stupid and unoriginal dig at the mayor's religion

Nobody 'needs' a burka! They are fast becoming a thing of the past anyway

I think user is saying something about Shakira?