Victoria Beckham faces backlash for using ‘underweight’ model in fashion ad

The 43-year-old posted two Instagram shots over the weekend of the model wearing a pair of oversized specs from her Victoria Beckham Eyewear Spring Summer 2018 collection, clad in a flowy pastel ensemble from the former Spice Girl-turn-fashion designer’s latest line. However, people have looked past the high fashion shoot and accused Victoria of promoting eating disorders, after seeing the image of 29-year-old Lithuanian model Giedre Dukauskaite. ‘Omg at least feed your model first smh,’ complained one social media user. ‘Victoria I adore you, but with the exorbitant prices you charge for [your] clothing couldn’t you at least buy this model a sandwich for god’s sake?’ another user wrote. ‘This image is why my already tiny daughter thinks she needs to eat less,’ another wrote after seeing a photo from the campaign on Facebook.

Another fumed: ‘Wow..although I love the clothes. I think you need to re- think your models. This girl looks very poorly. It’s not a good image to portray to anyone. Please make the change to healthy looking models.’ The mum-of-four, who admitted in her 2001 autobiography that she has battled an eating disorder, has been criticized in the past for using thin models. The fashionista defended herself at the time by saying her casting agents were in touch with the models’ agencies to ensure all the women were in good health. She even pledged commitment to the ‘Healthy is Beauty’ campaign, signaling she would only use models who maintained healthy weights.