H&M Uses Fake Bodies With Real Heads For Models (PHOTOS)

All that griping about how models' slender proportions are completely unrealistic? Turns out they are literally unrealistic -- as in, they are totally fake.

H&M has been sticking real models' heads on computer-generated bodies, reveals Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet (no, we don't usually read Swedish tabloids -- Jezebel tipped us off).

The head-body disconnect was first noticed in Norway via Bildbluffen ("Photo Bluff"), a site that identifies when photos have been doctored. But once they pointed out that a bunch of lingerie product shots from H&M's Christmas campaign featured fake bodies with real heads, we started to notice it ourselves (see below).

Luckily, H&M has fessed up. The company's press officer Hacan Andersson told Aftonbladet, "It's not a real body, it is completely virtual and made ​​the computer. We take pictures of the clothes on a doll [mannequin] that stands in the shop, and then create the human appearance with a program on your computer."

While this doesn't seem to apply to the ad campaigns featuring, say, Karen Elson and Abbey Lee Kershaw, it does happen with the models on H&M's e-commerce site.

The point seems to be that real bodies would be totally distracting for shoppers looking at product shots. "We do this to show off the clothes," says Andersson.

Not so fast, H&M. Aftonbladet writes that the model fake-out is actually occuring because H&M is simply not satisfied with the slew of models coming through its doors. Commented Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation's Helle Vaagland:

"This illustrates very well the sky-high aesthetic demands placed on the female body. The demands are so great that H&M, among the poor photo models, cannot find someone with both body and face that can sell their bikinis."

Oy. So now we have fake, computer-generated models to make us feel bad about our bodies? This is an uphill battle, ladies -- and just another sign that models should not be looked to as examples of ideal physiques.

Check out the product shots below -- can you tell that there's a fake body attached to those real heads?

(Via Jezebel)

Comments

[maymay2]

05:34 PM on 12/31/2011

Never have, nor ever will shop at H&M and Forever21. All their merchandize are made by slaves.

[Alexandra1011]

11:29 PM on 12/20/2011

Come on, anyone who shops at H&M knows they're constantly getting new shipments of clothes in - way more than most stores. It's probably necessary to use digital bodies in order to update the site with outfits all the time without having to have a whole new photo shoot. For those of you who aren't familiar, H&M's clothing turnover rate is about that of Forever21.

I really don't think the fake bodies have much of anything to do with the homogenization of women's bodies.

[blkbstofaargh]

07:18 AM on 12/09/2011

pics #3 and #4 are the same body. lol

[WryAwry]

01:01 PM on 12/08/2011

I popped a fake pudgey.

[skiesoutside]

12:44 PM on 12/08/2011

Wow. That's really, really sad and it shows just how low society is dropping to... what people in the fashion industry see in women. Personally I can't tell whether the bodies are fake at first glance but some especially #1 & #2 have super elongated necks which make the models look unnatural and and unreal...

[laurenslack]

12:16 PM on 12/08/2011

You should try out Fitiquette - they have an online boutique that helps you create a virtual model with your dimensions by accessing the size you wear at mass brands. then you can drag and drop clothing onto your actual form. ironically, amidst all of this discussion - they just launched. www.fitiquette.com

[ChaosFreak]

12:06 PM on 12/08/2011

Your article implores the "ladies" to not look at models as examples of ideal physiques while three out of the four "sponsored links" at the bottom are for weight loss products and anti-aging cream.

Also, why do you report third-party speculation as if it is fact. So what if a Norwegian Broadcasting pundit thinks H&M is doing this because it's dissatisfied with real models, that doesn't make it true. It's more likely they do this in order to automate the process of listing new products on their website without requiring live photo shoots each time.

[Michel t]

12:36 PM on 12/08/2011

- Do as I say, not as I do
- Like so many other things in life... it's about $$

[scarpenteri]

11:43 AM on 12/08/2011

Wow - this is big news . . . not! The "media" has been faking images for decades. It's about selling something (cars, clothes, hair, whatever) and making everything in the image look perfect. There are few perfect women out there (well, Charlize Theron is one!) so of course they have to monkey with the image to get it right. This is done with car magazines, fishing magazines, boat magazines, food magazines - you name it. Stop complaining, enjoy the image for what it is and find something meaningful to whine about.

[Mintchkin Dobfner]

11:21 AM on 12/08/2011

In terms of the self esteem of young girls, these photos are not the problem, the problem is the societal pressure for young girls to look thinner. Photos of male models are equally photoshopped and airbrushed to perfection, yet young men don't have nearly the rates of eating disorders or low self image that young girls do. It's like saying that in order to eliminate racism, we need to censor the use of the n-word in books like Huckleberry Finn; even if you pass a law banning the use of photomanipulation in advertising, there are still going to be millions of girls developing depression and eating disorders, because you haven't actually addressed the issue.

[lizzy101]

06:21 AM on 12/08/2011

photo #2 , the ginger girl is brazilian Cintia Dicker who did Sports illustrated and Victoria Secrets, y her head look pasted in but her real body looks very similar to that, she has a tiny waist and narrow upper torso.

[Jamie Schler]

04:32 AM on 12/08/2011

Gee I think H & M really needs to hire a professional photoshop expert. These are freaky bad.

[Mintchkin Dobfner]

11:08 AM on 12/08/2011

You're being bitter, if they were actually that bad people would have noticed the fakes before now.

[delijdewolfe]

12:23 PM on 12/08/2011

Jamie has a valid point Mintchkin. It's called the "Uncanny valley" effect. Look it up. Just out of curiosity are you one of the designers? Because it's seems you're taking Jamie's critique a little too personal.

[CommunistMold]

09:53 PM on 12/07/2011

I couldn't care less...

[The Noodle Fish]

08:14 PM on 12/07/2011

You mean they're actually THINNER in real life? *shudder*
This has to be some form of physical abuse.

[Riyter]

01:14 PM on 12/07/2011

#3 and #4 feature the exact same body but different heads. You know, if real models can't sell your bikinis, perhaps it's because your bikinis are ugly and no one wants to wear them.

[XenuWorshipper]

12:54 PM on 12/07/2011

Articles like this are the liberal equivalent of the Fox News "culture wars" pieces condemning things like the War on Christmas. The reported facts may be true, but there are far more serious issues to be worrying about.

Know what's more important than a handful of girls developing an eating disorder while trying to look like a computerized H&M model? The millions and millions of Western girls who chronically overeat and develop serious conditions like Type II diabetes and other "diseases of affluence" as a result.

Since 2001, premature deaths from obesity have exceeded deaths from malnutrition globally. Don't worry, women are still eating plenty--even with skinny, computerized fashion models in their H&M catalogs.

[zaricjelena]

05:25 PM on 12/07/2011

Don't you think that this idealized and for most unattainable body type created by the media is partly to blame for the some of the emotional problems that cause girls to overeat?

Granted, of course, that many other things lead to obesity, diabetes and overeating but I think you're missing the point that this is all interrelated.

Small 'unimportant' issues such as this one contribute to the systemic problems that create health issues in young girls in the first place. Think big picture before you speak.

[parker88]

06:45 PM on 12/07/2011

This may not be important to you, but it's very important to those who see these messages&think less of themselves because they can't measure up&especially to that "handful of girls" who develop eating disorder. EDs are real, they ruin peoples lives, health, &people die. THAT is important.