Oops! Fashion giant gives away its slimming secrets online
IT IS no secret that in the world of fashion, images are frequently retouched. But clothing giant Neta-Porter was left red-faced yesterday when an advertisement covered in editing instructions found its way online for all to see.
The photo had blue arrows pointing to four parts of the model’s body and the words ‘please slim’. It is thought the image was a preedited version. It was replaced after shoppers spotted it.
The model, in tartan skirt and bomber jacket, was advertising a £35 pair of Maria La Rosa Sailor Man socks. Net-a-Porter said the arrows were referring to the products, not the model. But the fact that it edits images at all caused an angry reaction online.
The retouching of models is controversial, with concerns that Photoshopping women to make them look slimmer gives young girls an unrealistic expectation of body shapes and could lead to eating disorders. A Net-a-Porter spokesman said: ‘We post images that accurately represent the garments so that customers receive product they expect. This image was uploaded to our product page in error and the notes refer exclusively to the garments.’