Last week, Jaybird wrote about the incident involving a print ad for Ralph Lauren and the model Filippa Hamilton being photoshopped to a grotesque level. The ad only appeared in Japan, but through the magic of the interwebs, it became a global story about body image, modeling and a brand that is usually known for much healthier images of women. Ralph Lauren (the company, not the designer) made a lot of excuses and threats about the ad, but in the end, the company had to issue a half-assed apology.
Now the model at the center of the controversy is speaking out. Filippa Hamilton is telling the New York Daily News that she was fired in April because the powers that be at Ralph Lauren deemed her “overweight”. Try NYDN for a current image of how “overweight” she looks – it looks like she gained some weight in her bust, and that’s about it. Ralph Lauren’s statement about Filippa makes it sound like they technically fired her for violating her contract… probably by putting on a few pounds.
Ralph Lauren’s clothing company fired the model whose body looked emaciated in a touched-up ad because she weighed too much, the woman told the Daily News Tuesday.
Filippa Hamilton – whose hips appeared slimmer than her head in the recent altered ad – said her contract was terminated in April because she was too heavy.
“They fired me because they said I was overweight and I couldn’t fit in their clothes anymore,” she said.
The 5-foot-10, 120-pound stunner was amazed to see her body digitally distorted for Ralph Lauren Blue Label.
“I was shocked to see that super skinny girl with my face,” she told the Daily News. “It’s very sad, I think, that Ralph Lauren could do something like that.”
Hamilton, 23, worked for Ralph Lauren since about 2002 and considered the company like a second family – until she was bounced.
Then out of nowhere last week, the altered ad – which appeared only in Japan – caused a sensation and drew the ire of critics who thought it appeared sickly and unrealistic.
Polo Ralph Lauren said in a statement Tuesday night that Filippa is a “beautiful and healthy” woman but their relationship ended “as a result of her inability to meet the obligations under her contract with us.”
“The image in question was mistakenly released and used in a department store in Japan and was not the approved image which ran in the U.S. We take full responsibility,” the statement said. “This error has absolutely no connection to our relationship with Filippa Hamilton.”
Hamilton’s lawyer, Geoffrey Menin, said the image is “gross distortion of how she really looks and which we fear will be extremely damaging to her.”
Hamilton is concerned about its impact on the public.
“I think they owe American women an apology, a big apology,” she said. “I’m very proud of what I look like, and I think a role model should look healthy.”
[From the New York Daily News]
Well, the company did apologize. A Ralph Lauren spokesperson told the Daily Mail (via Huffington Post): “’For over 42 years, we have built a brand based on quality and integrity. After further investigation, we have learned that we are responsible for the poor imaging and retouching that resulted in a very distorted image of a woman’s body. We have addressed the problem and going forward will take every precaution to ensure that the calibre of our artwork represents our brand appropriately.” Of course, that isn’t really an “apology” to American women… or women in general, around the world. I do think Filippa is owed a better explanation for why she was fired – and Ralph Lauren should do a bigger mea culpa for this whole mess.
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