This week, documentary filmmaker Darryl Roberts spearheaded a major boycott against Ralph Lauren Polo in Chicago, New York and San Francisco. Roberts and supporters boycotted Ralph Lauren stores in the three cities in an effort to protest unhealthy advertising images recently utilized by the company.

The controversy began in October when the company ran an ad featuring a photo of model Filippa Hamilton that had been photoshopped to make her look grotesquely thin. Although Lauren eventually apologized for the poor retouching job on the photo, the company has since run two more ads featuring extremely thin-looking models.

Roberts comments: "Ralph Lauren apologized for the first image of Fillipa Hamilton that was photoshopped ... but later he was caught with a second image and a third image. If he was truly sorry, why didn't he pull the additional ads when he apologized for the first one? So it seems that his company has an apologize-as-we-get-caught philosophy.

"The reason that we're boycotting is that we want him to commit to never putting out another ad that's egregious and offensive to young women and girls again. No more empty apologies from Mr. Lauren. We want a firm commitment that he'll never use ads that are disrespectful and egregious again."

YWCA of America supports Roberts in his boycotting efforts. Lorraine Cole, Ph.D., CEO of YWCA of America, comments: "The relentless marketing of so-called 'beauty' in the Ralph Lauren ads is alienating to all who don't meet ... those artificial standards of 'ideal.' It is time that we ignite a cultural change in this country to end the pursuit of the elusive beauty myth, starting with a boycott of those companies that disregard the self-esteem, health and human worth of the women and girls whose dollars they seek."

(Source: www.prnewswire.com)

Labels: model, advertisements

Posted By: Aspen Education Group