The girl on the left is a size 8/10. #Topshop #poorbodyimage #irresponsible #fashion #highstreet ?? pic.twitter.com/mYbCZMYeSI
? Becky Leigh Hopper (@BeckyLHopper) October 27, 2014C'mon, Topshop!
The British retailer is getting major flack after British student Becky Hopper put them on blast via Twitter for using ridiculously skinny mannequins. And by that we mean toothpick thin—the mannequin's legs look like arms at best. Just look at the woman to the left of the mannequin, who wears a U.K. 8/10 (that's a U.S. 4/6!), for some perceptive.
While Photoshop crimes are more the norm for skinny scandals, the ultra-thin mannequin issue isn't exactly new either. Back in July, Scottish shopper Mel Fraser Twitter-shamed Primark, also a U.K. clothing store, for using mannequins with protruding ribs to market tops. And after getting more than 1,400 shares, Primark quickly yanked the super-thin mannequins from stores. La Perla has also been criticized for using rib-baring mannequins to advertise lingerie (which it also removed after a tweet).
Topshop's not alone this week among big-name retailers putting out bad body-image vibes—recall Walmart's quickly pulled Halloween "Fat Girl Costumes" section? Or perhaps the latest Victoria's Secret Perfect Body campaign will ring a loud body-shaming bell.
But it's not all pain and no progress, people! A-listers galore are rallying to promote positive and realistic body images for women, with none so outspoken as Demi Lovato.
"For so long it was the very skinny, frail model look, and that's what I grew up looking at," Lovato told E! News. "For me, I thought that's what you had to look like, so growing up thinking that and then seeing women like [Kim Kardashian] and Beyoncé. I mean, Kim, say what you want about her, but she's a very successful woman and she really kind of revolutionized what beauty was when she came on the scene. For me, I'm embracing that, and I want younger women to see that you don't have to be something that you're not."
Amen, sister! But back to that teeny-tiny mannequin— Topshop has since addressed the issue in the following statement:
"Topshop has long made it a priority to showcase a healthy size image to its customer from the choice of models used in the campaigns, to the stories run online and on the blog. The mannequins Topshop uses are not bespoke to Topshop and are supplied by a company that has been working with leading retailers for the past 30 years. The mannequin in question has been used in stores the past 4 years and is based on a standard UK size 10. The overall height, at 187cm, is taller than the average girl and the form is a stylised one to have more impact in store and create a visual focus. Mannequins are made from solid fibreglass, so in order for clothing to fit, the form of the mannequins needs to be of certain dimensions to allow clothing to be put on and removed; this is therefore not meant to be a representation of the average female body. "