Zara has come under fire for using notably slim models in an in-store advert telling women to ‘love their curves’.
The aim of the ads, which have been seen in stores since February, is presumably to promote body positivity. A worthwhile goal, we're sure you'll agree. But the contradiction between the image used and the intended message wasn't lost on customers.
You have got to be shitting me, Zara. pic.twitter.com/tiOsJv5AVy
— Muireann O'Connell (@MuireannO_C) February 28, 2017
The ad went viral earlier this week when Muireann O’Connell, an Irish radio personality, shared it on Twitter and garnered nearly 8,000 retweets and over 15,000 likes within less than 24 hours.
“You have got to be shitting me, Zara,” she tweeted, before clarifying that the models themselves aren’t to blame.
“Can I just say, this is nothing to with the models. It's the marketeers that have distorted their image & fucked up.”
Unsurprisingly, others followed suit by condemning the ad on social media – often in amusing ways.
Love your curves - @ZARA pic.twitter.com/4ERvTka2sO
— Bert Swattermain (@BertSwattermain) February 28, 2017
This is the visual equivalent of saying "All Curves Matter" https://t.co/xwP60Z7Cfv
— Merci Marcoup (@MarcositoW) February 28, 2017
I assume Zara is doing irony. pic.twitter.com/8BAomw5Yy8
— Just John (@emptyjamjar) February 28, 2017
@MuireannO_C @Hanecdote looking for them curves like pic.twitter.com/RupX3AjtqA
— Adi Peltz (@adi_peltz) February 28, 2017
Others took the opportunity to make a serious point about the pressure on women to be slim, while at the same time being told to love their own size and body shape.
All bodies are equally beautiful but... curves where? This is false advertising and could lead to bad self image on young girls c'mon @ZARA https://t.co/ebV8LwITRj
— rico (@erikson0302) March 1, 2017
*sigh* this is the sort of thing that makes my 15 year old, size 8 daughter think she's fat. https://t.co/shnA2zhEIi
— Mrs VB (@MrsVB) February 28, 2017
More than ever we need to protect the self esteem of young girls. This is how not to do it. https://t.co/KwBwDkJ7hJ
— Mo Al-Borno (@Berreli) February 28, 2017
While I appreciate that smaller women can be curvy, the impact this is going to have on young girls is not going to be positive. https://t.co/LOTCTLMKe6
— Deborah Stuttard (@TheGreedyGirl) February 28, 2017
This isn’t the first time the Spanish high-street store has been embroiled in a scandal. There were the blue and white striped pyjamas that bore an eerie resemblance to a concentration camp uniform, accusations that the brand ripped off the work of designers, including Tuesday Bassen, and a woman recently sued the store after she found a dead mouse sewn into her dress. Refinery29 has reached out to Zara for comment.
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