New Look, the bargain high-street fashion retailer (phew) announced today that it would be using 100 of its own staff and customers to front its new advertising campaign.  The 'real life' models will range from sizes six to 18 and are around six inches shorter than average models according to The Sun Newspaper this morning. 

Now I have a lot of friends who shop in New Look and when I have ventured in-store (under a cap looking very Janet Jackson not wanting people to recognise me), it has never been short of a larger lady or two - far from it.  To me (and I appreciate I am not the target audience) New Look has been one of the few high-street brands that has managed to cultivate a 'we are for everyone' image so why do they now decide to shout about it?

The biggest question here is not whether it should have launched this campaign now but whether they should have at all and brings up an old argument in marketing and PR - Do people want to look like 'real' human beings or do they actually, really want to look like supermodels?  Is River Island (a brand I would consider on par to New Look for Women) promoting bad self image using models or are they actually selling a dream which everyone should be allowed to have?

As a slightly larger than average boy (cough...), I ask myself the same question and frankly, I don't really want to shop in a store that has images of really big guys wearing nice clothes.  And I certainly would never buy from Jacamo (google it).  I like the idea that when I wear something, I am actually a dead ringer for the model even though in my heart of hearts, I know that isn't true.  Is that body dismorphia?  Bad self image?  Or simply good marketing?

So I applaud New Look for recognising larger women but for me, seeing an image of a size 18 model wearing one of their dresses wouldn't make me rush in store.  It would probably make me turn away and shop elsewhere... after all, who really wants to look like a fatty?