Is skinny back — and will banning ads really help?

Are models getting skinnier? According to data from the Advertising Standards Authority they seem to be — but fashion insiders are squabbling about what this means and what the industry should do next.

In July, the regulator banned an M&S advert featuring a model who appeared to be “unhealthily thin” — on the grounds that her pose and “large painted shoes” intensified “the slenderness of her legs”.