Advertising Standards Authority bans Nasty Gal ads

Online womenswear brand Nasty Gal has had three of its adverts, which
aired over the summer, banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA)
after 22 complainants believed the model looked “unhealthily thin” and
claimed the ads were “socially irresponsible”.

The advertising watchdog agreed and stated that the model appeared
“unhealthily underweight” and that there were specific scenes in the ads
where the model drew attention to her slimness with her poses, such as
lying on a sun lounger stretching her arms, which the ASA said in its
ruling “emphasised their slimness and length”.

The ASA stated: “We considered that the model appeared unhealthily
underweight in those scenes and concluded that the ads were therefore
irresponsible.”

The three adverts all following the same model and narrative ran in June
2018, and showed the model posing in various outfits including swimwear, a
dress and a tank top with a skirt, while playing tennis and golf.

Nasty Gal responded to the watchdog stating that the model featured in
the advert was a UK size eight and that her body mass index was within the
healthy range for an adult woman, in accordance with NHS guidelines ,and
added that “some viewers may subjectively view the model to be too slender,
whilst others would recognise her to be of a healthy appearance”.

However, ASA upheld the complaint and has ruled that the adverts did
breach BCAP Code Rule on social responsibility and therefore can’t be
broadcast again in their current form, and added that Nasty Gal needs to
ensure that the content in its ads are “prepared responsibly”.