The United Kingdom’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) banned two Zara online advertisements after finding that the images portrayed models who looked unhealthily thin and were therefore irresponsible. The ruling required the retailer to remove the visuals permanently and to confirm that all future imagery would be prepared responsibly.
The contested photographs appeared on Zara’s website and mobile application as part of a slideshow for summer apparel. In one image, shadows cast across the model’s legs made them appear noticeably thin, while a slicked-back hairstyle emphasized what the ASA called a haggard look. A second image for an oversized pocket shirt drew attention to protruding collarbones that, in the Authority’s view, became the focus of the promotion rather than the garment itself. Investigators said that camera angles and lighting accentuated an unhealthy body type that could encourage harmful ideals. “Overall, we considered that the pose of the model and the choice of clothing in the ad created the impression that the model was unhealthily thin,” concluded the ASA.
The watchdog reviewed four photographs in total and judged that two did not breach its code because the models in those shots did not appear excessively underweight. The case began with a consumer complaint filed in May that questioned whether the visuals were socially irresponsible. During its investigation, the ASA referred to Fashioning a Healthy Future, the 2007 report by the UK Model Health Inquiry, which urges brands to secure medical certificates confirming a model’s health—preferably from doctors trained to detect eating disorders—before commissioning campaigns.
Zara told the Authority that it already followed that recommendation. The company said both models had supplied medical certificates and that post-production was limited to minor adjustments to light and color. It also stated that no customer had complained directly before the ASA’s inquiry and that the images were deleted as soon as the company learned of the pending decision. “We are committed to responsible content and follow strict guidelines and controls in the selection and photography of models as well as in the selection of images,” said a spokesperson for Zara UK.
Despite those assurances, the ASA instructed the retailer not to use the ads again in their current form and warned that future campaigns would come under scrutiny if similar concerns emerged. The Authority has intensified oversight of fashion marketing amid ongoing debate over body image. Earlier in the year, it barred a Marks & Spencer campaign after judging that a model looked extremely thin; it also prohibited a jeans promotion from Next because camera angles made the model’s legs appear overly narrow.
Some commentators have questioned why equivalent attention is not applied to advertisements featuring models perceived as unhealthily overweight. The ASA responded that any depiction capable of promoting harmful body standards—whether underweight or overweight—could face regulatory action.
Zara removed the disputed images and updated product listings. The broader Inditex group, which owns the brand, did not say whether it would introduce additional internal measures, but the UK division emphasized continued compliance with medical-certificate requirements and careful editing practices. Industry observers noted that the ruling aligns with decisions in continental Europe and Australia, reflecting wider efforts to police body-image messaging in fashion advertising.