Khloe Kardashian leotard Tube ad sparks fresh row over body shaming of young women

Body image row: the new Tube advert
Pippa Crerar15 February 2017

Sadiq Khan came under pressure today to ban a Tube poster featuring Khloe Kardashian in a leotard just months after tightening Transport for London’s rules on advertising.

Critics called on the Mayor to remove Protein World’s image starring the reality TV star - and sister of Kim - amid concerns it could cause confidence issues among young women.

The same company came under fire for its “Are you beach body ready?” poster which provoked a huge backlash when it appeared two years ago.

Mr Khan, a father of two teenage daughters, announced last summer that adverts which put Londoners under pressure to conform to an unhealthy or unrealistic body image were to be banned from the transport network.

He set up an advertising steering group to help decide if adverts were appropriate for display but the Standard has learned that it is only meeting for the first time later this week - eight months on.

And TfL said the advert featuring reality TV star Ms Kardashian would not be covered by the ban, which does not include all images of people in their underwear or swimming gear.

The six-month Protein World campaign, which features the model striking a variety of poses while dressed in a revealing gym leotard, centres around the company’s 30-day weight-loss challenge which claims to be for women who want to feel “more confident and comfortable” in their own skin or “show their ex what he’s missing”.

But Green Assembly member Caroline Russell, who received complaints from constituents about the advert, said: “People taking the Tube should not have to be bombarded with adverts that imply their bodies aren’t good enough.

“Young people receive this negative message from enough social media channels and it’s appalling that this is being reinforced on Tube platforms, against the Mayor’s own policy, when people are taking trips to school, to work, or going out to socialise.

“I am urging the Mayor to look again at these adverts that challenge young people to ‘keep up’ with reality stars known for idealised and unrealistic body shapes. He needs to enforce his own guidelines and live up to his manifesto promise to Londoners.

“Every body is a good body and TfL should be promoting inclusion and making their stations welcoming spaces. Allowing these adverts risks making people lose confidence in themselves.”

However, a spokesman for the Mayor said: “This advert was closely reviewed and deemed to comply with the new TfL advertising policy that bans adverts that could pressurise people to conform to unhealthy or unrealistic body images.”

Mr Khan’s changes meant that controversial campaigns like Protein World’s “Are you beach body ready?” poster would no longer be allowed.

The weight-loss ad, which featured a bikini-clad model, sparked a protest in Hyde Park while an online petition gathered more than 70,000 signatures, and posters were defaced on the Tube.

However, it was not banned by the Advertising Standards Authority and the brand later claimed that publicity from the controversy generated an additional £2 million in sales.

The Mayor’s steering group, comprising of TfL executives and advertising partners Exterion Media and JCDecaux, provides guidance on advertising policy rather than approving individual ads.

However, TfL said it would “carefully consider” any recommendations made by the group about the Kardashian Protein World poster.

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