Two Zara Ads Banned For Unhealthily Thin Models With "Protruding Collarbones"

Two advertisements by fashion major Zara have been banned for featuring models who appeared "unhealthily thin".

The now banned advertisements previously appeared on Zara's application and website in an image carousel. One of these ads featured a model wearing a short white dress. According to the UK's advertising regulator Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), a shadow effect was used to make the model's legs appear "noticeably thin". The agency also said that the position of the model's upper arms and elbow joints made her body look "out of proportion".

Photo Credit: zara.com

In the other advertisement, the model's slick back bun hairdo made her appear "gaunt", while her pose and the low-cut design of her short dress in another image brought attention to her "protruding" collarbones.

According to the BBC, ad-watchdog ASA ruled that such "irresponsible" advertisements must not appear in their current state on the Zara app again and that the fast fashion brand must ensure that all images are "prepared responsibly" in future. Following censure, Zara removed the two advertisements, adding that both the models were healthy when the pictures were taken.

The Question Of Protruding Collarbones

The second banned advertisement was of a shirt and the pose chosen by the model made her "protruding" collarbones a "focal feature" of the ad.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) investigated two other Zara advertisements but neither of them was banned.

Zara also apparently removed all the images that were flagged by ASA, while adding that it had not received any direct complaints. The retailer also told the advertising authority that it followed recommendations of a report, Fashioning a Healthy Future, which was published in the year 2007 by the UK Model Health Inquiry.

The retailer told ASA that none of the images had been modified beyond "very minor lighting and colouring edits".

Zara said it specifically complied with the recommendation number three of that report which stated that models "should provide a medical certificate attesting their good health from doctors with expertise in recognising eating disorders".

Zara being at the centre of a controversy over promoting unhealthy body image standards comes months after other retailers also found themselves in a soup over similar advertisements. In July 2025, an ad by Marks & Spencer was banned because the model appeared to be "unhealthily thin".

Earlier this year, an advertisement for blue skinny jeans by Next also faced a ban by the ASA for emphasising the thinness of the model's legs with camera angles.

Also Read: 8 Things From The Zara Website That We're Crushing On For The Winter