Primark slammed after customer tweets a photo of anorexic looking mannequin in shop window

Dummy in Glasgow shop has protruding ribs

Spotted by concerned shopper Mel Fraser

Primark have now agreed to change their window display

Other brands have come under fire in the past for promoting a too thin ideal



There have been many, much applauded steps within the fashion industry to move away from the ultra-thin ideal for women.



However, most models and store mannequins are still extremely thin, and now an example has come to light of a store popular with young girls using a dummy resembling a seriously underweight woman.



Budget fashion house Primark has promised to change a window display after a customer tweeted a picture of an anorexic looking mannequin.

Last month the debate erupted again, after a shopper tweeted this picture of a Primark dummy, appearing to resemble a severely underweight woman

Concerned shopper Mel Fraser tweeted a picture of the skeletal dummy after spotting it in the shop window of the Glasgow branch.

Wearing a bikini and printed trousers, the shockingly thin mannequin’s ribs were clearly protruding.

Ms Fraser tweeted a picture of the dummy to bosses at Primark who tweeted back, promising to look into the matter straight away.

She wrote: ‘ Dear Primark, is it really necessary that these new mannequins have protruding ribs?

‘And before I get anyone saying I’m skinny bashing, I’m not, I’d just like to see mannequins in all different shapes and sizes in all stores rather than young girls thinking this is the only way to be.’

Concerned shopper Mel Fraser tweeted a picture of the skeletal dummy after spotting it in the shop window of the Glasgow branch

Her picture and caption was quickly re-tweeted more than 1400 times and Primark bosses thanked Ms Fraser for bringing the matter to their attention and promised an investigation.

They tweeted back: ‘Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We’ll speak to our team tomorrow. Can you please let us know what store this was pls?’

Fitness instructor and mother of one Ms Fraser said she felt using only overly thin mannequins sent a worrying message to impressionable young shoppers.



Primark responded to the complaint and now says it will change it's window display

She said: ‘Primark shoppers tend to be young fashion conscious girls and I’m concerned that it sends a dangerous message to impressionable teenagers.

‘If you are going to have mannequins that are thin then they should at least be presented alongside other body shapes so not to enforce the message that very thin is the only desirable or acceptable body shape for women.’

Other twitter users also slammed the store.

With users branding the use of the mannequin as ‘shocking, ‘disgusting,’ and ‘utterly terrifying.’

But others were quick to defend Primark with one user asking: ‘ What if you are naturally skinny, does that mean you can’t be represented?’

Earlier this year luxury Italian linger label La perla came under fire after a customer tweeted a picture of a mannequin on display in New York

Ms Fraser insisted she was merely calling for more of a ‘variety’ of shapes to be represented to send a safer message.

Yesterday the store announced: ‘We are currently changing our window displays.’

In a tweet to Ms Fraser bosses said: ‘ The mannequin you describe will not be used in this way again.’

Primark is not the first store to be lambasted for the use of thin mannequins. Earlier this year luxury Italian lingerie label La perla came under fire after a customer tweeted a picture of a mannequin on display in New York.

Gap and Zara have also come under fire in the past.