Ralph Lauren Photoshopped Ad Saga - New Ad Surfaces of Model Valentina Zelyaeva

Posted Oct 15th 2009 at 3:52PM by Katie Hintz-Zambrano (Subscribe to Katie Hintz-Zambrano's posts)

Filed under: News

Another distorted ad surfaces. Is Ralph Lauren responsible?

And the Ralph Lauren Photoshop drama continues!

As we previously reported, the blog Photoshop Disasters uncovered a Ralph Lauren advertisement in a Japanese mall featuring longtime RL model Filippa Hamilton-Palmstierna with a body so grotesquely Photoshopped that her head appeared bigger than her pelvis.

After threatening Photoshop Disasters (and blog BoingBoing, which reprinted the image) with legal action, the executives at Ralph Lauren took responsibility for the picture.

The company went on to tell The Today Show -- which invited size 4 Hamilton-Palmstierna to share her story about allegedly being fired from modeling for Ralph Lauren due to not fitting into the clothes -- that the Photoshop mistake only appeared in one department store in Japan.

However, it could be that this was not an isolated incident. Photoshop Disasters has now come out with another supposed Ralph Lauren ad featuring a grossly whittled down model (above) -- it was reportedly found in a Sydney, Australia window display. This photo shows longtime Ralph Lauren muse, Valentina Zelyaeva.

In the new ad, Zelyaeva is shown in an all-grey ensemble, with her head, shoulders and hands seemingly normal, but her torso, hips and legs slimmed to impossible -- and pretty unattractive -- proportions.

With these two images popping up in far flung corners of the globe, we'd hate (but obviously, sort of love) to see what else is floating around out there. And only time will tell who's behind this photo's overly Photoshopped model.

So, while we're left scratching our heads as to why two already beautiful and slim women would be turned into weird cartoon-like characters (seriously, we're getting big-headed Steve Madden ad flashbacks), we want to know what you think.

Leave a comment with your thoughts on artificially emaciated models in ads!

Tags: Distorted ad, distorted model, DistortedAd, DistortedModel, photoshop, photoshopped ad, photoshopped model, PhotoshoppedAd, PhotoshoppedModel, Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren Ad, ralph lauren photoshop, RalphLauren, RalphLaurenAd, RalphLaurenPhotoshop, skinny model, SkinnyModel

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)

mstanmey 10-15-2009 @ 5:02PM

I was lucky enough to never have been overweight in my life. That all ended after the birth of my second child. I got down to 20 pounds over my normal weight but no matter what I did I couldn't lose the rest. I didn't know if was age catching up with me or if somehow my metabolism changed. Whatever the reason, nothing was working. I tried all the bogus "diet" pills that we see all over the internet, but are just scams. All I ever lost with that stuff was money. One of my friends, knowing what I was going through, told me that she had been losing weight using a special plan at this web site ( weightlossoptionsreview.com ) It laid out the facts in a way I never saw before and had easy to follow meal plans and diets. Not only have I lost the weight and kept it off but I'm leading a healthier lifestyle, mostly from the knowledge I gained from this amazing program.

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drakemar3 10-16-2009 @ 8:13PM

If you're lucky you don't know what it's like to be the "fat friend", well that was me, and it isn't fun. I tried everything you ever heard of in an attempt to lose weight. I went through those scam acai berry "diet" pills, none of which work, and lost nothing but money. I never gave up trying and about 6 months ago one of my friends, knowing what I was going through, told me that she had been losing weight using a special plan Http://tiny.cc/FatLoss217 It laid out the facts in a way I never saw before and had easy to follow meal plans and diets. Not only have I lost the weight and kept it off but I'm leading a healthier lifestyle, mostly from the knowledge I gained from this amazing program.

betsy 10-15-2009 @ 5:03PM

uh, i love you. but you might want to look up the definition of "anomaly," and its common usage.

doesn't really work there. the English major in me had to give you a heads up.

xox

Melissa 10-16-2009 @ 2:24PM

Sorry Betsy. I was an English major as well, and the author most certainly did use the word "anomaly" correctly. Of course, not that "anomaly" is even a difficult word that only English majors would know. Regardless, if you're going provide a vocabulary critique, you need to get your information right.

xoxo ;)

TODD 10-16-2009 @ 8:20PM

Ralph Lauren really thought this sick look was good advertising. What a buffoon. And you women want to wear his cloths.............He should be out of business with bad ideas like this.

grayce 10-16-2009 @ 8:26PM

HOLY CRAP! IF SHES FAT,THEN IM OBESE!!!!!!!PEOPLE THESE DAYS......!
ps i miss my juicebox

TonyB 10-16-2009 @ 8:23PM

oh come off it. who in their right mind believes these ridiculous pictures are real? and even if someone does, does anyone think any man would be interested in a girl with that figure?

Truth 10-16-2009 @ 9:26PM

To answer your question, men are indeed attracted to women like that. Megan Fox anyone?

Katherine 10-16-2009 @ 10:47PM

But people do. There are people who believe that what designers and the entertainment world put out there are what it should be like. Some girl who looks up to models will make themselves sick to look like that. Since people do actually believe it we should not let it be posted.

lorearr 10-16-2009 @ 8:32PM

I'm sorry no confident woman in her right mind would ever want to look this way. It's obviously not natural and the purport ions make her look like a big headed freak, not a fashion icon. I think Ralph Lauren should send his staffers who sign off on these photos off to a planet that's more acceptable to their photographic points of view. A planet where aliens might better relate to these images of perfection. If I were the model, I'd sue. That's just wrong and she looks like a freak of nature, not beautiful...at all.

nikin78 10-16-2009 @ 8:36PM

I think everybody knew the picture was photoshopped. I would have either thought it was photoshopped or the lady in the picture has a medical condition. Either way I don't find it attractive and I don't think Ralph Lauren should either. On top of it they are showing us a picture like when Mike Myers player guru pitka on the Love Guru movie and he play a younger version of himself with a kid body but his head. On another not the lady in the picture could be from where George Lopez is from.

Patricia 10-16-2009 @ 8:37PM

RALPH LAUREN IS GOING TO LOOSE THEIR BUYERS! HE'S SUCH AN IDIOUT FOR HIGHERING DUMBASSES TO AIRBRUSH THESE MODELS! WHAT ARE WE SAYING HERE TO OUR TEENAGERS, HEY KIDS BE ANOREXIC SO YOU CAN DIE! I WISH I COULD SEW THIS IDIOUT FOR THIS KID OF GROSS ANOREXIC LOOKING PICS. I WOULD EXSPECT TO SEE SOMETHING LIKE THIS IN ETHOPIA BUT, WE ARE IN THE USA. I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE REST OF YOU BUT, I'M DAMB HAPPY NOT TO LOOK LIKE AN ETHOPIAN.

Kii Kii 10-17-2009 @ 1:21AM

I have to do this... in responce to "RALPH LAUREN IS GOING TO LOOSE THEIR BUYERS! HE'S SUCH AN IDIOUT FOR HIGHERING DUMBASSES TO AIRBRUSH THESE MODELS! WHAT ARE WE SAYING HERE TO OUR TEENAGERS, HEY KIDS BE ANOREXIC SO YOU CAN DIE! I WISH I COULD SEW THIS IDIOUT FOR THIS KID OF GROSS ANOREXIC LOOKING PICS. I WOULD EXSPECT TO SEE SOMETHING LIKE THIS IN ETHOPIA BUT, WE ARE IN THE USA. I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE REST OF YOU BUT, I'M DAMB HAPPY NOT TO LOOK LIKE AN ETHOPIAN. "

I agree that the message they are sending is wrong.. but I can't help myself. Your words might have had a stronger impact had I not been so thrown by how many mistakes you made in your statment..

Your spelling errors:
Idiot not Idiout,
Hiring instead of highering
Sue not sew
Idiot not idiout (again)
Kind of gross anorexic.. instead of Kid of gross anorexic
Expect not exspect
Ethiopia not Ethopia
Damn not damb
Ethiopian not Ethopian.

Please next time take a little more time to read over your comment so you do not come off sounding like an Idiot yourself.

Erica 10-17-2009 @ 1:49AM

I could barely understand anything you wrote but...

What's wrong with Ethiopians? Your stereotyping and racism make you no better than those you accuse. Yes, the pic is horrifying, but did you need to go that far?

That and your obvious lack of education make you an embarrassment to Americans. Learn to spell/capitalize.

jeannate78688 10-17-2009 @ 5:50AM

Actually, as I understand it, Ralph Lauren no longer runs his company. He handed it over to his kids. So Ralphie isn't to blame. But at any rate, I agree that this look is grotesque to say the least. And there are women and mainly girls who will look at an ad like that and think that is how a perfect female form should look. We already have people striving to be so thin that they become anorexic, and the impossible standards of advertisers are partly to blame for girls and women having this view. Obviously there are other factors at work with anorexia, not just unreasonable advertising, but those images do not help the problem.

lainie 10-16-2009 @ 8:40PM

It is like she has the body of a young boy. Makes you wonder.

hi 10-16-2009 @ 8:40PM

ahahah they need to fire their digital effects artist for not having any skills what so ever.
I mean, c'mon, there are high school kids that could make less-clearly photoshopped pictures.

dryheatmyfoot 10-16-2009 @ 8:42PM

I find these pics hard to believe. The person editing them should be fired, and so should anyone who let them pass on to publication. ;0)
Roberta

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