Some fans of Gucci, an Italian fashion brand, in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Friday expressed mixed feelings over the recent ban of Gucci advertisement in the UK.
Gucci, which is an Italian fashion brand, has been prohibited from using an advertisement in the UK which features what the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) describes as an “unhealthily thin” model.
The ASA ran the rule on the fashion house’s new ‘The Cruise 2016’ campaign, which first appeared in Britain in December 2015.
On Wednesday, April 8, 2016, the ASA of Britain ruled that the advert was “irresponsible” and that the model looked “unhealthily thin’’.
The fans expressed their divergent views in an interview in Abuja, They said that the advert was a way of encouraging upcoming and young stars of starvation while others think otherwise.
Mr Gabriel Echeta, a public servant said that he did not subscribe to young people getting themselves worked up in order to look fit for advert.
He added that being slim, a criteria for most modeling should not mean underweight.
“Sliminess is a natural endowment for some people, so people that have tendency of being fat should not over work themselves trying to look thin because it endangers their health,” he said.
Similarly, Mrs Evelyn Maduka, a fashion designer said that she liked the ban because the rate at which some fashion homes like Gucci use thin girls “is alarming and calls for professional intervention’’.
According to her, Gucci is an international designing outfit that attracts fame, therefore has driven so many girls to go extra mile in order to identify with it.
In the same vein, Mrs Grace Obinna, a teacher expressed delight and joy over the ban, stating that such adverts apart from driving most girls to go out of their way to look thin, could endanger their lives.
Mrs Obinna advised that other models, prospective ones and fashion homes that go that far should be sanctioned with immediate effect.
She also urged young models to maintain their stature and remain healthy “because thinness is not an attribute of beauty’’, adding that “only the living can model’’.
However, Miss Adanna Ejiofor, a student of the University of Abuja while condemning Gucci of using underweight model for advert, called for avenue where plump and moderate looking individuals could also be used for modeling.
“Though I love Gucci products, I feel that people, especially young girls that go as far as starving themselves do so to be seen as fit to be used for adverts.
“I will suggest that the fashion industry across the world should look into the issue and come out with possible ways of making provision for people with plump and average body as well.
“By so doing, people will have choice and also minimise the rate of going hungry just to look or become thin for advertisement,” she said.
On the contrary, Mrs Edna Nkwa, an entertainer said that she did not see anything wrong with Gucci using underweight “because they are not magicians to know underweight persons’’.
Nkwa said that the most important thing was for the person to meet up to the expectation of the company or the outfit that hired the model.
According reports that some of Gucci brand products include clothing, bags, perfumes, jewelleries, among others.
