Motel Rocks clothing ad banned for models being 'unhealthily thin'

Two social media posts by the clothing brand Motel Rocks have been banned for including models who appeared to be unhealthily thin.

The Facebook posts, uploaded in April and May, gained five complaints that claimed the ads were irresponsible because of the models' size.

Rustin and Mallory Wholesale, trading as Motel Rocks, told the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) that they had removed the images.

The ASA found that the first ad made the model look unhealthily thin and was therefore irresponsible, noting that the woman’s thighs appeared to be the same width as her lower leg, and out of proportion with the rest of her body.

The picture was exaggerated by the ad’s lighting, the angle of the image and the position of the model getting out of the car.

The second ad made the model’s arm and shoulders appear very thin, with her bones in those areas appearing prominently, while her upper arm appeared to be noticeably thinner than her elbow joint.

Both ads breached rules on responsible advertising.

The ASA ruled that both ads must not appear again.