Image by Anh Tuan To sourced by Unsplash
By Kelsey Hudson
An online clothing brand that received a lot of criticism from its followers after it posted its latest collection using an ‘over-exaggerated hourglass mannequin’ has taken more than a year to respond to online criticism.
Oh Polly continue to utilise the mannequin on their social media despite first receiving a backlash from its consumers, starting in early 2022.
Fans of the fashion brand took to Twitter to express their anger after the retailer overlooked the opinions of its followers regarding the damaging advertising.
They branded Oh Polly as ‘disgusting’ and ‘unrealistic’ claiming that consumers “can’t see how the dress looks on a NORMAL BODY”.
@Iec16rc tweeted: “The ohpolly mannequin makes me wanna sob and then I stare at it a bit longer and realise exactly how unrealistic it is and there is no reason to be upset.”
@BethanCroft wrote: “Whilst the dress is stunning… it is disappointing to see brands as large as Oh Polly to be portraying such unrealistic standards of beauty. Suggesting from the size of this mannequin that beauty equates to the smallness of your waist.”
@libbypearsonx said: “Waiting for the day Oh Polly uses models with varied body types for their brand. Every single Oh Polly model has the exact same ‘perfect’ body which is unattainable and unrealistic for most women.”
Ellie Corbett, 20 said: “The mannequin is really idealistic and makes me not want to wear their clothes because I feel like I don’t look like what the brand expects.”
A follower of the brand made a comment on its TikTok account saying, “Put a realistic mannequin”, which Oh Polly replied: “We want to apologise if this has caused any offence. We assure you that it was not our intention to offend or upset anyone and we really appreciate your feedback. We strive to create content that is representative of the whole of Oh Polly’s community.”
Concerns over sizing
Customers of the brand have also taken to social media platforms to express their concerns on the brand’s sizing of its garments.
Kiera Jackson, 19, said: “I feel put off from buying their products because I personally don’t see my body type represented and find it difficult to know which size I should purchase. I have friends who are a size 10 but need to buy a size 14 just so it fits.”
@_callmefae_ expressed to twitter: “One thing about Oh Polly, they gonna give me body image issues because why do I have to sweat to get in my size”.
On the third of March 2023, Oh Polly finally released expanded cup sizing for its garments, with an option to purchase an item from dress sizes 4 to 18 adding a cup size of A to F.
The brand holds a target audience of 18-30-year-olds in the female market, with dress sizing ranging from 4 to 18 however, this is not portrayed on their social media platforms with its models being of an unrelatable size.
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