Shoppers outraged by Marks and Spencer mannequins in a remarkably thin size 6
MARKS and spencer has been criticised for using extremely thin mannequins with tiny size 6 waists in fashion displays.
in some stores, clothes had to be pinned back to make them fit the dummies, which have skinny ankles and legs, protruding hips and 24in waists. This is the equivalent of a size 6, the smallest size in the M&s range. The average British woman is a size 16 with a 33in waist.
Pressure from such ‘unrealistic expectations’ could contribute to eating disorders, the charity Beat has warned.
The Mail visited M&s stores across the country where the dummies showing off key pieces in a fashion range displayed the same alarming body proportions.
in London, skin-tight white jeans left the mannequins appearing dangerously underweight, with thighs barely thicker than the fragile-looking calves.
The mannequins promoting rosie huntington-Whiteley’s Autograph range had 8in ankles, 17in thighs and 24in waists. A size 8, the size of most high street mannequins, has a 26in waist.
shopper Natasha horsman, 64, said: ‘stuff like this is dangerous, it sends out such a bad message. i’m sure a couple of young woman do look like that but i’ve never seen them in Marks – it’s just silly.’
sarah Jameson, 37, who regularly visits the store in Birmingham high street, said: ‘it’s ridiculous – barely any women look like that and it does reinforce this really unrealistic standard of beauty.
‘Especially with teenagers and all the exposure they get to social media, you’d think M&s would know better.
‘it’s not just an older person’s store, there are plenty of young kids and teens who come in. What kind of example are they being set?’
At an M& s store in Manchester, Amanda smith, 53, said: ‘it’s not an accurate image of how the clothes will look on you – the mannequins are extremely thin. They’ve had to pin the clothes at the back to make them look better. i don’t know anyone who has a body type like that.’
A spokesman for Beat, which supports those affected by eating disorders, said: ‘The pressure created by unrealistic expectations about body shape can be an exacerbating factor for people who are vulnerable to developing an eating disorder.’
Last year a report in the Journal of Eating Disorders found most female high street mannequins were ‘disturbingly thin’, but only 8 per cent of male mannequins showed an underweight body size.
An M&s spokesman said: ‘We have 32 million customers and cater for women from a size 6 to 32. Our mannequins are typically size 8 and we are looking at increasing the number of larger mannequins. We have launched CURVE, a collection to fit and flatter sizes 18-32, which is displayed on size 20 mannequins.’