Shockingly Skinny Gap Model Causes Twitter Outrage, But Is This Body-Shaming?

Perrie Samotin
·3 min read

By now, you’re probably aware that folks on Twitter aren’t afraid to let their followers know what they think about, well, pretty much everything, so it’s not terribly shocking that many users blasted Gap for tweeting an image of a shockingly skinny model earlier this week.

“Dress up your days in pastel plaid. #since1969,” the tweet read, accompanied by an image of a model wearing a shirtdress.

More from StyleCaster

What’s odd, however, is the model wearing the plaid shirtdress in the tweet is noticeably much thinner and paler model than the one wearing the dress on Gap’s website.

Click here to read the full article.

Needless to say, the image sparked a barrage of angry tweets, with several users calling the brunette model a number of things, including “terrifying” “a ghost” and “a concentration camp inhabitant.”

A few Twitter users defended the model, saying things like “Why is everyone so quick to call a skinny woman anorexic?’ and another tweeting: “It’s just as hurtful as telling a fat person to diet.”

https://twitter.com/SBChambe/status/497161892335714304

Even the model’s husband, director Daniel Ralston, came to his wife’s defense and claimed she has trouble gaining weight.  

On its part, Gap—who hasn’t removed offending tweet—has been busy issuing statements left and right about its intention to “celebrate diversity in our marketing,” and tweeted “Many of you are sharing feedback on this image – thank you. We’re listening and believe this is a valuable conversation to have.”

Of course, none of us know a thing about this model, her health, whether she’s truly this skinny or if Photoshop was at play—not an unlikely assumption these days—so the flurry of irate tweets could seem a bit premature.

On the other hand, it’s hard to blame women for having a feral reaction to Gap—a retailer known for its dedication to creating functional, realistic clothing—using a model so frail and unrealistic to sell them.

The model wearing the shirtdress on Gap’s site isn’t as thin as the one used on Twitter.
The model wearing the shirtdress on Gap’s site isn’t as thin as the one used on Twitter.

What do you think? Are people on Twitter body-shaming this Gap model, or is she simply too skinny? Weigh in below.
 

Best of StyleCaster