Lingerie brand La Perla was forced to remove certain rib-showing mannequins from it New York store after receiving a lot of criticism from Twitter users.
Last Sunday, Twitter user Michael Rudoy shared a picture of a scary, rib-showing mannequin that was placed in one of La Perla's New York stores. Rudoy criticized the lingerie brand for using such a mannequin, which indirectly promotes anorexia.
"How does La Perla think visible ribs on a mannequin is OK?" he captioned the picture.
The post gave rise to a hashtag campaign #NotBuyingIt, which went viral on the Internet, generating a lot of heat against La Perla.
The company reverted to the criticism by apologizing and then thanking Rudoy for bringing it to its notice. It also assured that the company takes things like this very seriously and will be looking into the matter immediately.
"@mrudoy Thank you for bringing this to our attention, it's something we take very seriously and we are looking into it further," the company tweeted.
The company released a statement yesterday with an update on the ongoing investigation and confirmed that the mannequin had been removed. It also said that piece will not be used in any of the brand's stores in the future.
"The mannequin photographed has been removed from the store and will not be used again by any La Perla boutique," the statement read. "We are in the process of redesigning all La Perla stores with a new concept image and the mannequins that are currently displayed in our US stores will no longer be used. We appreciate and value everyone's comments, thank you for bringing this to our attention."
Many celebrities have come under public scrutiny for their skinny figures bordering on anorexia. Miley Cyrus, who is often considered a sex symbol, has received a lot of heat for her weight. First she was criticized for being overly fat and then she was accused of promoting anorexia. In 2012, the singer found herself at the receiving end of a lot of backslash for her dramatic weight loss.
Recently Emma Stone faced similar criticism for her weight loss. She justified her frail physical by saying it was hereditary.
Teen model and "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" reality TV star Kendall Jenner recently revealed to Harper's Bazaar Arabia that she is constantly slammed for her slim physique and is bullied to add weight.
"I'm constantly criticized for being too skinny. I'm trying to gain weight but my body won't let it happen," said Jenner. "What people don't understand is that calling someone too skinny is the same as calling someone too fat. It's not a nice feeling," she said.
Other celebrities who have been taken to task for looking too thin include Angelina Jolie, Tori Spelling, Bethenny Frankel and Shenae Grimes.
Why Are People So Hard On Skinny Women?
According to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, 76 percent of American adult women and 16 percent of teenagers are either obese or overweight. Hence, the media automatically assumes that being skinny is a symptom of an eating disorder, which is not healthy.
"The reality is that there are far more women in this country in danger of dying from obesity-related causes than in danger of not finding a pair of size 0 jeans," ForbesWoman columnist Kiri Blakeley states in her article "Sorry I'm Skinny."
Whether it is fair to pick on skinny women or not remains a debatable topic. However, since celebrities and brands have a responsibility toward the public to promote healthy living, they need to be more vigilant about the appearances they make and the products they sell.
