Study: Thin Models in Ads Can Discourage Shoppers

By Emily Gyben 05/16/12 at 12:00 PM

gisele in versace spring/summer 2012 campaign

Photo courtesy of Versace

Would you buy this ensemble if you didn't look like Gisele?

Is fashion aspirational? Maybe not. A new study—done by model agent Ben Barry—found that women might be more likely to purchase an item of clothing when it’s modeled by someone close to their own size.

Barry surveyed over 2,500 women, ranging from age 14 to 65, with dress sizes from 0 to 18, and measured their reactions to mock ads with models of varying age, size, and race, but who all wore the same Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress as a control.

“My study found that women increased their purchase intentions by more than 200 percent when the models in the mock ads were their size,” Barry wrote in Elle Canada, where he documented his results. “In the subgroup over size 6, women increased their purchase intentions by a dramatic 300 percent when they saw curvier models. Conversely, when women saw models who didn’t reflect their size, they decreased their purchase intentions by 60 percent, and women over size 6 dropped their purchase intentions by 76 percent.”

Barry owes his findings to the reasonable explanation that if women see that a dress is flattering for their body—not a sample-size body—then they’re much more likely to give it a shot. (Credit where it’s due to DVF’s positively magical wrap dress, which really does look great on every size).

“Contrary to long-held marketing wisdom, fashion ads don’t need to lead women to aspire to an unattainable ideal to sell products,” wrote Barry. “Instead, women will buy fashion when models convey a realistic, attainable image and make them feel confident; they will continue to demand the products to maintain the advertised look and their feelings of empowerment.”

Are you listening, advertisers?