A Gap shirtdress model is the latest victim of internet body-shaming. The young woman is said to be too skinny, with some commentators even telling her to go eat a hamburger.
On August 4, via their official Twitter account, Gap decided to promote a pastel shirtdress using the following caption, “Dress up your days in pastel plaid. #since1969.”
Nothing in all of this seemed controversial, until some people started looking at the model wearing the plaid dress. The brunette who looks very thin, was photographed partly in profile, which accentuated her small frame.
The Gap shirtdress model photo quickly went viral and sparked a week-long debate about the meaning of a healthy body.
About 70 percent of the commentators deemed the model too thin, the other 30 percent backed the brunette and slammed those who engaged in what they call “thin-shaming” or “skinny shaming.”
Although Gap did not delete the controversial tweet, the fashion brand decided to use another picture while promoting the shirtdress on Instagram, opting to go without a model and just putting the dress on a clothes hanger. On Gap’s official website, the plaid pastel dress is advertised using a different model who looks less thin.
The clothing retailer put out a statement on Friday in order to calm things down a little. Gap Inc. spokesperson Edie Kissko said:
“Our intentions have always been to celebrate diversity in our marketing and champion people for who they are. Upon reflection, we understand the sensitivity surround this photograph. Customer feedback is important to us and we think this is a valuable conversation to learn from.”
Some cynical voices think that Gap is enjoying the debate, after all there is no such thing as bad publicity. The company could have deleted the tweet, apologized and moved on but instead opted to embrace the “healthy” conversation about body image.
Those who think it was wrong to use the super-thin model argue that it gives young girls and women unattainable standards to aim for.
On the other side, body-shaming is hurtful whether it is about someone who is fat or someone who is skinny.
Words do matter, in this particular case the Gap model got a pretty raw deal.
