John Lewis is set to revolutionise the way high street stores use models to sell clothes by becoming the first retailer to use 'normal-sized' women in its advertising rather than thin models.
The shop, widely respected for its ethical practices, is seeking to address the damaging controversy over 'size zero' models by employing a variety of women of different shapes and weights in its promotional activities, including shop window mannequins.
It recently caused a stir in the fashion industry by using a size 12 model to market its summer swimwear collection. After finding that none of its usual British model suppliers had women of that size on their books, the store turned to South African model Lauren Moller.
John Lewis is now going much further by pledging to use a diversity of women in all its advertising in a deliberate attempt to convey a 'realistic' image of what British women really look like. While the average British woman is a size 16, most models are a size 8, 10 or even 6. It hopes other big-name stores will follow suit in a bid to fend off mounting criticism that images of routinely ultra-slim models add to the incidence of anorexia, the potentially fatal eating disorder that affects thousands of girls and young women.
The company has recruited Britain's leading campaigner on how the media and fashion industry influence eating disorders to advise it how to switch to its new, 'more responsible' policy. Susan Ringwood, chief executive of Beat, the eating disorders association, will next month address a group of staff, including designers, public relations executives and those involved in devising John Lewis's marketing activities. She will tell them that while advertising involving very skinny models does not itself cause eating disorders, it can damage the health of some young women by making those at risk of developing anorexia or bulimia think that such shapes are normal or desirable.
'I'm delighted that John Lewis has approached me to do this and are showing some leadership in this area,' she said. 'They want to be seen to be taking responsibility because they feel that the British Fashion Council (BFC) aren't showing leadership on this issue, and that people on the high street aren't going forward as quickly as they should be. It's brave of them to be seen to be addressing these quite challenging issues'.
John Lewis spokesman Mark Forsyth said last night that although the chain would not necessarily stop using size 8 models, it would include more variety. 'What Dove [the skincare manufacturer] has done, promoting the very diverse aspects of women, different shapes and sizes, is very positive,' he said. 'It's about health and promoting diversity. We are hoping that this will stimulate a debate about the use of fashion imagery.'
Retailers such as Topshop, H&M and Asda have been criticised for producing 'size zero' clothes. The US size zero is the equivalent of a UK size 4, with this size usually worn by girls as young as seven. Celebrities such as Victoria Beckham, wife of ex-England captain David, and actress-model Mischa Barton are seen as epitomising the trend towards grown women being so slim.
News of the store's stance comes as the British Fashion Council prepares this week to unveil the results of the independent inquiry it has commissioned under Labour peer Baroness Kingsmill to decide what to do about super-thin models and their negative influence.
Members will include an executive of Storm, the leading model agency; a senior figure from Grazia, the women's magazine; Adrienne Key, an eminent psychiatrist and expert on body image issues; and Erin O'Connor, the British supermodel who criticised designers for making clothes too small for most women to fit into and has spoken out about how models need to remain healthy in the potentially unhealthy world they inhabit.
The BFC runs London Fashion Week, which takes place twice a year. It was criticised recently for rejecting calls by the Culture Secretary, Tessa Jowell, to ban ultra-slim models from its catwalks at the last event in February, as other leading international fashion shows, such as Madrid, have done.
The BFC has been warned that the Kingsmill inquiry is the industry's last chance to 'put its house in order' over ultra-slim models before it risks government intervention.
Hilary Riva, the BFC's chief executive, was unavailable for comment.
Change in store
Tesco
Last January Tesco announced a series of green pledges, including an attempt to cut its worldwide stores' emissions by 50 per cent by 2020.
Marks & Spencer
In the same month M&S unveiled a £200 million plan to cut its energy consumption, with more products made from recycled materials.
Waitrose
In June 2006 Waitrose said it would no longer reject imperfect fruit and now markets it for use in cookery to cut food waste. This was supported by the National Farmers Union.
Luc Torres
