In April 2024, the Advertising Standards Authority was subjected to more than 100 complaints regarding an advertisement by Marks and Spencer. The model in the advertisement was depicted wearing a strappy green garment, standing with one leg bent slightly and her shoulder barely lifted. The response was quick, pointed, and vocal. Numerous viewers opined that the model appeared unhealthily thin model. By July 2025, the advertisement had been formally Marks and Spencer ad banned.
This was not an insignificant choice. Marks and Spencer ad banned is a highly recognizable retail brand within the UK, operating more than 1,000 stores and enjoying generations of customer loyalty. When a brand so large has a public backlash, it indicates more than one error on the part of the company. It indicates a new moving tide of how individuals desire to view beauty, health, and responsibility represented in media.
And the reality is, advertising makes a difference. The Mental Health Foundation has found that 22 percent of adults are ashamed of their bodies, and more than one-third of teenage girls report that social media and adverts make them feel pressured to be thin. How ads affect body perception is becoming a public health concern. People react to what they see on screen, and what they see makes them feel in their skin. That makes banning this sort of ad more than a news story. It is a signal.
The Ad That Caused a Stir
The photo that led to the ban was for a lingerie campaign. The model wore bright green bra and underwear. Her posture was classy and confident, but her exposed collarbones and overall gaunt appearance led many viewers to think that she hinted at something unhealthy, unhealthily thin model concerns were raised.
Others claimed that the ad should not be banned. Still, others insisted it was long overdue. The advertising standards authority ruled that although the photo may have been shot artistically, it had the potential to glamorise a body size that might give the wrong message, particularly to young and impressionable minds.
What was different about this case was not only the photo but the reaction. Complaints arose from individuals who were watching. Not watchdogs. Not critics. Average viewers who sensed something was amiss. That is important because it demonstrates public sensitivity to body image in advertising is increasing.
Who Oversees These Ads and Why
In the United Kingdom, the advertising standards authority (ASA) maintains adverts in their place. Their aim is to make sure adverts are legal, decent, honest, and truthful. Although freedom of expression is still important, it is also important to protect individuals against harm.
This is not the first occasion ASA bans M&S ad due to body image in advertising concerns. In 2017, a fashion brand Saint Laurent campaign was removed for employing what they referred to as “irresponsible imagery” featuring excessively thin models in suggestive poses. Such prohibitions are all part of a broader initiative to bring advertising closer to reality, and to public health.
The system relies on feedback from the public. Without complaints, the ASA does not necessarily move. So when more than 100 wrote in to complain about the Marks and Spencer ad banned, it was a message that could not be ignored. And this time, the regulator listened. It became a key example of responsible advertising UK.
Why This Ban Matters in 2025
There is a reason this specific moment feels different. Over the past few years, brands have been told to embrace diversity. They have been asked to represent different body types, ethnicities, and age groups. While many have made efforts, thinness still dominates fashion industry body standards.
Suspending this ad sends a message that change is not only about language, it must also manifest in images. When a well-known brand is called out for perpetuating what appears to be unrealistic beauty standards, it is a lesson to others. That is part of why Marks and Spencer ad was banned.
This also coincides with the time when the fashion industry is attempting to remain relevant. Younger shoppers are concerned about values, and health is included. The surviving brands are not only the ones with superior product, they are the ones that grasp culture. And today, the culture is shouting: health first.
The Continuing Issue of Body Image in Fashion
Fashion has been in a complicated relationship with body image in advertising for as long as anyone can remember. Models had to be size zero for decades. Designers made clothes for one look and the results of that were imposed on everyone else.
Even today, despite increased awareness and body-positive movements, the path is uneven. Runway shows may have more diversity on them, but print campaigns and social media initiatives tend to revert to previous behaviors.
This sends a confusing message. One moment, we’re talking about inclusivity. The next, we’re looking at images that imply being very thin is the goal. That dichotomy puts pressure on people, particularly teenagers and young adults who are still developing their own relationship with their bodies. It raises concerns around impact of fashion ads on mental health and how ads affect body perception.
Brands and Their Role in Constructing Health Stories
Brands do not just sell products. They sell ideas. When someone sees an ad, they are not just looking at fabric or design. They are absorbing a message about what is desirable, acceptable, and worthy of attention.
Marks and Spencer ad banned is a heritage brand. Its reach is wide. That is to say that the decisions it makes are consequential. Hiring a unhealthily thin model sends a message, even if the message was not meant to be sent.
What builds a brand’s credibility is not flawlessness but sensitivity. When businesses know how their images can impact mental and physical well-being, and decide to be considerate, they gain lasting respect. This is the foundation of responsible advertising UK.
What the Data Reveals Regarding Body Image and Advertising
According to a 2023 survey by the Girlguiding UK organization, 73 percent of young women between the ages of 11 and 21 want to see greater body diversity in brand campaigns. According to another survey by the Royal Society for Public Health, manipulated or idealized images accounted for anxiety, low self-esteem, and eating disorders among young people.
The statistics support the worry. It is more than a few individuals being hypersensitive. The connection between media representation and self-concept exists and has been widely documented. This is also why ASA bans M&S ad was seen as a necessary step.
And it’s not just mental health. Physical health comes into play as well. A culture that promotes unhealthy weight ideals can push individuals toward excessive dieting or risky behavior in order to conform. That is why the impact of fashion ads on mental health continues to be a critical topic.
Consumers Are Watching. And They Care.
Once upon a time, brands could release any image, and it would not be questioned. That was then. Consumers now are watchful, knowledgeable, and outspoken.
Social media provides individuals with a direct line to brands. They are able to call out failures, applaud good decisions, and hold organizations accountable. This is not activism, it is everyday life for many.
The Marks and Spencer ad banned backlash demonstrates that even long-standing customers are listening. And it demonstrates that beauty ideals are no longer a matter of fashion. They are an issue of community. And that is also why why Marks and Spencer ad was banned continues to circulate across forums and platforms. It has become a case study in banned ads UK.
Fashion Can Inspire Without Harming
This prohibition does not call for brands to cease to be innovative. It calls for creativity to be accompanied by responsibility. Substance and style can coexist.
There are countless ways to express confidence, beauty, and power without reinforcing unrealistic beauty standards. And companies that strike the balance reap loyalty that cuts deeper than product excellence.
There is a reason brands such as Dove, which feature all kinds of bodies, have established enduring trust. Human beings remember how they feel about a brand. If an advertisement makes human beings feel judged or inadequate, it doesn’t work. If it makes human beings feel noticed, it will work. This proves that body diversity in brand campaigns can be both inspiring and commercially viable.
The Marks and Spencer ad banned is a sign of changing times. Thin is no longer the gold standard. Health, honesty, and representation are replacing it.
It is not about criticizing a brand. It is about raising the bar. The world is paying attention to what messages corporations decide to send, particularly ones with a platform as big as M&S.
In the future, brands must examine their creative decisions carefully. They must pose genuine questions. Who is this photo for? What does it communicate? How will one feel after viewing it?
The good news is that the way to go is clear. Humans want real. They want relatable. They want brands to demonstrate that health and beauty look more like themselves than it ever has before. And they are willing to stand behind the companies that do. Let this be one more reason ASA bans M&S ad becomes a defining moment in fashion industry body standards and banned ads UK history.
