Topshop Pulls Photo of ‘Size Zero’ Model Codie Young Following Controversy
Topshop’s original (and controversial) homepage image of 18-year-old model Codie Young.
After the media and several eating disorder groups reacted to an image (above) of the “size-zero” model on Topshop’s homepage, the retailer removed the picture and has responded to the criticism.
18-year-old Australian model Codie Young originally appeared on the site sporting a silky shirtdress and oversized sunglasses. While she looks remarkably thin, a Topshop spokesman explains in a statement to FashionEtc that it’s just an illusion.
“Topshop is confident that Codie is a healthy young woman,” Andre Leahy, the company’s head of publicity, says. “We do recognize regretfully that the angle this image has been shot at may accentuate Codie's proportions, making her head look bigger and neck longer in proportion to her body.
“Whilst we recognize that Codie is a slim young woman, she is a size eight not a size zero,” Leahy continues. (While he’s no doubt referring to U.K. sizing—which would make Young an American size four by his words—Young herself admits on her blog that she is, in fact, an American zero.) “The clothes she is wearing are a sample size 10 so in some instances they may look a little looser than normal.”
The retailer replaced its original image with a more covered-up photo of Codie Young.
The new homepage image (above) is a different shot of Young, in a yellow coat over a red dress.
“I am very happy with my body and how I look because it’s a part of who I am!” Young wrote on her blog. “Throughout my entire childhood I was called anorexic and people would ask if I was bulimic. And it was really hard sometimes for me to deal with as I have always been this way.
“I was deeply hurt by this and I hope all who read my blog truly don't think I'm anorexic. As I am most definitely not!”
In related news, check out Tom Ford’s recent statements that Americans and Brits are getting too "fat".
