Topshop Removes Thin Mannequin Following Customer Complaint
The Topshop mannequin. Photo: Laura Berry/Facebook
Topshop’s mannequins are under fire — again.
Customer Laura Kate Berry took a photo of a mannequin wearing skinny jeans, a white T-shirt, and jean jacket and shared it—along with her disappointment—in an open letter to the retailer on its Facebook page. “As you are aware, the year is 2015. A time when I like to believe we are conscious of the harsh unrealities often imposed on us by the fashion industry,” she wrote.
Berry begged the company to justify the “ridiculously tiny” size of the mannequin because it’s “quite frankly ridiculously shaped,” she says. She finds it especially disconcerting that Topshop, with its cult following of young women, wouldn’t depict anything in its stores above a size 6. “Perhaps it’s about time you became responsible for the impression you have on women and young girls and helped them feel good about themselves rather than impose these ridiculous standards.”
The post caught the attention of Topshop, which initially responded with a form response to a complaint message, but followed up with a more thoughtful note. “We think it’s important to showcase a healthy size image, from the choice of models used in campaigns, to the stories featured online and on the blog,” a brand representative shared.
Topshop went on to explain that the particular mannequin Berry saw was supplied by a company that has historically worked with lots of different retailers and the style in question is used in small number of stores. The figure is based on a standard UK size 10 (equivalent to a US 6), and is taller than the average girl at 187cm (approximately 6 ft. 1 in.) to have a larger impact on the sales floor. “That said, we have taken yours and other customers’ opinions and feedback on board and going forward we are not placing any further orders on this style of mannequin. The views of our customers are extremely valuable and we apologize if we have not lived up to the levels of service that we aim to deliver.”
Just last year, another shopper raised concerns with the Topshop’s mannequin sizes when she posed next to one to juxtapose the difference between what an actual average woman looks like and how the brand represents that. But Topshop’s not the only one getting into trouble: A clothing store targeting teenagers and young women in New Zealand, Glassons, was criticized for using mannequins with protruding ribs.
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