Last week, Ralph Lauren issued an apology after releasing what appeared to be a severely altered photograph of model, Filippa Hamilton. The “distorted image” caused quite a stir and further spurred on the question of photo-shopping in advertising.  In a statement, the company said “For over 42 years we have built a brand based on quality and integrity…we are responsible for the poor imaging and retouching that resulted in a very distorted image of a woman’s body. We have addressed the problem and going forward will take every precaution to ensure that the caliber of our artwork represents our brand appropriately.”

The 5′10″, 120lb model at the center of the controversy was let go of her contract six months ago “as a result of her inability to meet the obligations under her contract with [Ralph Lauren].”  But according to Hamilton, the brand “based on quality and integrity” fired her for being ‘too fat,’ and that is at the heart of the hatchet job done to the photograph that made her head look larger than her hips.  Hamilton says “They fired me because they said I was overweight and I couldn’t fit in their clothes anymore” and finds it “sad that Ralph Lauren would do something like that.” Read more…