Companies making use of the political climate, cultural shifts and the zeitgeist in their ad campaigns is nothing new.
In fact, brands are celebrated for successfully monopolising issues like body positivity or broader feminism.
Take Dove, or Nike, for example. Generally, it's been recognised that these brands are making money from their 'real' women and pro-immigration campaign themes, but it doesn't matter, because we still appreciate the proliferation of those images of acceptance and self-love.
The company gets a cool campaign that taps into what people are thinking and feeling, plus a good cause is promoted - it is a win-win situation.
For this trade-off to be successful, their has to be a sense of authenticity from the campaign, they can't pretend to care, they have to actually care.
And Zara has been catching some flak on social media for being disingenuous a couple of times.
Their 'ungendered' clothing line last year received eye rolls - the clothes were seemingly genderless anyway (being t-shirts and hoodies) and thus the advert's coining of the 'ungendered' phrase was criticised for being nothing more than a marketing ploy, riffing on the gender-fluid zeitgeist.
They also have been accused of imitating American artist Adam J Kurtz's designs, although we must note that Zara's umbrella company Inditex, has denied copyright infringement.
Considering this legacy of stirring up dissent, when an Irish Radio Presenter tweeted the below tweet, people were peeved.
The photo showed two arguably very slim models with the tagline 'Love Your Curves' next to them.
Muireann O'Conner pointed out that the problem did not lie with the models themselves, rather than the marketing team behind the image.
People had some pointed responses to the tweet.
Again, the issue really isn't the girls themselves, its the use of their image next to a body positive message.
Some people equated this to 'thin-shaming,' saying that it is as valid to place these slim girls next to a body positive message than it would be to place larger girls next to one.
What most people seem to agree on, though, is that although it's true that any shape or size makes you a 'real' and valuable woman, the problem here is that this image is the same tired vision of two slender, pale models that we've seen countless times in fashion history. It is no more diverse or different than than most other images promoting mainstream fashion as the preserve of slim identikit models.
These models have bodies they should embrace and love, but we already know society validates and accepts these figures, what we would LOVE to see is a broader range of bodies to be deemed beautiful.
If you say 'love your curves' then show us some blimmin' cuuuuurves, no?
Daisy Murray is the Digital Fashion Editor at ELLE UK, spotlighting emerging designers, sustainable shopping, and celebrity style. Since joining in 2016 as an editorial intern, Daisy has run the gamut of fashion journalism - interviewing Molly Goddard backstage at London Fashion Week, investigating the power of androgynous dressing and celebrating the joys of vintage shopping.
