The Mayor Of London Has Just Banned Body Shaming Ads From Public Transportation

“No one’s confidence or body image should be undermined,” the London mayor said.

@everyoneisetra / Via Twitter

London mayor Sadiq Khan has banned adverts that could cause body confidence issues as part of new plans to "strengthen" Transport for London's (TfL) advertising rules.

He said he was "extremely concerned" about advertising that could demean people, particularly women, and make them "ashamed of their bodies" as he announced the move on Monday.

"Nobody should feel pressurised, while they travel on the tube or bus, into unrealistic expectations surrounding their bodies and I want to send a clear message to the advertising industry about this," he said.

As a result he will work with TfL and a new steering group to assess adverts with a view to preventing campaigns such as Protein World's widely criticised "Are you beach body ready?" billboard from appearing across the transport network.

The advert, which featured a slim woman in a bikini to promote its weight-loss supplements, received thousands of complaints, with the image widely parodied and defaced.

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