Ralph Lauren Apologizes For Image Of Emaciated Model: "We Are Responsible" (UPDATE)

UPDATE 10/14:
The Photo-shopped model, Filippa Hamilton, is alleging that Ralph Lauren fired her for being too fat.

UPDATE 10/9:

Ralph Lauren has issued an apology, the Daily Mail reports:

A spokesman for Ralph Lauren said last night: '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 calibre of our artwork represents our brand appropriately.'

10/6:

There's a great blogosphere-battle brewing between website Boing Boing and clothier Ralph Lauren over an advertisement featuring a Ralph Lauren-clad woman photoshopped to impossible thinness.

The gauntlet was thrown when a Boing Boing blogger reproduced the ad with this succinct critique: "Dude, her head's bigger than her pelvis."

Instead of addressing this disturbing, and accurate criticism, Ralph Lauren responded by accusing Boing Boing of copyright infringement for reprinting the ad. Even though, As Boing Boing points out, this is "classic fair use: a reproduction 'for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting.'"

Happily, Boing Boing will not be cowed by Ralph Lauren's threat, as co-editor Cory Doctorow makes clear:

So, instead of responding to their legal threat by suppressing our criticism of their marketing images, we're gonna mock them. Hence this post.

Other strategies for battling Ralph Lauren Doctorow plans to employ include: reproducing the ad with the original criticism, publishing Ralph Lauren's legal threats and offering "nourishing soup and sandwiches to [their] models."

Comments

[wolfstarpdx]

05:41 AM on 10/23/2009

The use of Photoshop and other image-manipulation software to distort and "correct" fashion photography is nothing new, and quite widespread. Adbusters magazine had a great article about it, in an issue several years back. Here's a link to another article of their's: https://www.adbusters.org/campaigns/actions/fashion-revolution.html

[bhavishyap]

04:19 AM on 10/15/2009

Having suffered a severe body image problem since I was a teenager, I worry that the numbers presented about this model's height and weight will be triggers in themselves. Probably right now there are postings all over the Pro Ana/MIA sites where young girls are saying, "Ew, anyone over 120 pounds is sooo fat." That's sick.

[nancyt9]

06:03 PM on 10/14/2009

It's not a surprise. Ralph Lauren should be ashamed I don't care what the requirements are to be a perfect model, this is disgusting. The body doesn't even look human she is so disfigured. There was no reason for them to go all out and give her this dying of starvation look. It is sad that the fashion industry only seeks these skinny women. I'm skinny as well but I don't think a voluminous woman is any less attractive than me. Being realistic who really looks that small. These kinds of ads are the reasons models have eating disorders, these are the examples they feel they need to compete against. Unfortunately in our time being this thin will actually give you wealth, so yes lets all just starve ourselves and get rich. Ridiculous.

[seattle music]

12:27 AM on 10/14/2009

Honey I Shrunk The Pelvis !!!

[MasterOfOne]

07:33 PM on 10/13/2009

Really, Ralph? This isn't much of an apology. Karl Lagerfeld should consider a little contrition, too:

http://thebrowntweedsociety.com/2009/10/13/ralph-lauren-%E2%80%9Capologizes%E2%80%9D-karl-lagerfeld-damns-torpedoes-regarding-skinny-models/

[Justtellthetruth]

04:17 PM on 10/13/2009

Bravo BOING BOING.

[cyranorox]

01:22 PM on 10/13/2009

Thinness= wealth. It both is, and stands for, a form of riches. And, as Wallis Windsor once said, you cannot be too rich or too thin. Or can you?

[pjburns11]

12:50 PM on 10/13/2009

The only gauntlet being thrown down is the waif in that photo.

The models get skinnier as the masses get fatter. What is that about?

[xsm941f]

12:48 PM on 10/13/2009

Let's see. Someone had to have made the decision that this is good to go before it was published. How anyone could have ok'd this is beyond me.

[AnimalFarm1984]

12:09 PM on 10/13/2009

Yukes. Her body is so out of proportion. It seems like Ralph Lauren got the idea from portrait of aliens with gaint heads and tick like bodies.

[svnjewels]

11:10 AM on 10/13/2009

Ewwww, who in their right mind would find that remotely attractive? My arms are bigger then her legs! GROSS!

[td439sf]

10:28 AM on 10/13/2009

she's hot. i'd def tag that if she supersized her rack a little

[thrugreeneyez]

11:44 AM on 10/13/2009

Please don't refer to women as something to "tag". This is very offensive to women. Women are not mere sex objects for you to "tag". You sound like a huge jerk when you talk like that, and you also sound uneducated.

[Beegood]

12:19 PM on 10/13/2009

Something tells me you don't do alot of "tagging". I am sorry that this is what you find attractive, as it isn't human, that must be very fustrating for you.

[zapper502]

12:48 PM on 10/13/2009

isnt human???? you may wish to take that statement back

[jewellthief]

08:53 AM on 10/13/2009

say what you will, in this society, being skinny and/or almost anorexic is celebrated on the runways, while folx critique Serena Williams on the cover of ESPN as being 'too manly'.... wow, I guess curves on a woman are considered 'too manly'.....

[zapper502]

12:49 PM on 10/13/2009

maybe its the 16 inch biceps

[RickMarin]

01:24 AM on 10/13/2009

Once again, gay men pretty much run the fashion industry, and their idea of beauty is reflected by how they portray women, as skinny teenage boys, which reveals their true secret fantasy, which they're much better at keeping hidden than your average pedophile.
...and this is not an attack on the gay community in any way (whom I embrace), just a psycho-analysis, if you will.

[notontask]

07:34 AM on 10/13/2009

Conflating gay desire with pedophilia is an attach on the gay community, and also ignorant. And for why your "psychoanalysis" is seriously reductive, see my other comments on this subject.

[notontask]

07:35 AM on 10/13/2009

Make that "attack" not "attach"

[Helloamanda]

01:19 AM on 10/13/2009

he should say sorry, yikes shes scary! makes me wanna eat for her!
http://www.helloamanda.com/