Scandal over Photo of Ralph Lauren Ultra-Thin Model

Much has been said recently about the appropriateness of this much photoshop in women’s magazines and the fashion industry in general. While some claim that every photo thus retouched should come with a “legend,” others defend the practice by saying everyone knows not to expect real images of real women when opening a beauty magazine, for instance. Ralph Lauren, though, has some serious apologizing to do to his customers after a photo of an ultra-thin model surfaced online, as ABC News informs.

The photo shows model Filippa Hamilton in an add for Ralph Lauren that was displayed in a “trendy” mall in Tokyo, according to reports in the media. Unfortunately, the image was retouched in such a poor manner that her hips and waist were actually smaller than her head, which made her look not only disproportionate, but also as if this close to losing her life from some eating disorder. The pic got out on several blogs, where it was severely criticized.

In response, Ralph Lauren sued them and then issued an apology for the photo and especially for presenting a very wrong image of a woman’s body. The controversy continues to rage on, though, as the ad in question also brought to the table again the issue of just how much was too much photoshop in commercial photos.

“An image of an impossibly thin Ralph Lauren model has stirred quite the brouhaha in the blogosphere. A new ad shows the model Filippa Hamilton sporting the designer’s latest ensemble, but, through photo-editing, her waist has been whittled down to appear smaller than her head. In late September, the blog Photoshop Disasters posted the ad, as did the blog Boing Boing, adding the caption: ‘Dude, her head’s bigger than her pelvis.’” ABC News informs.

In response to the scandal that was slowly spreading on the Internet, Ralph Lauren sued the blogs for using the photo in question without permission, therefore in violation of copyright. The bloggers, however, refused to pull it down, saying that it was their right to criticize and point out the flaws in the photograph, as also to inform the public of the gag techniques used by the legal team from Lauren. As of now, the pic continues to be available online.

Ralph Lauren has also issued a statement saying that the picture is, indeed, used for one of the most recent campaigns. “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 caliber of our artwork represents our brand appropriately.” a statement from the prestigious fashion house reads.