ATB Action Network to Boycott @ Ralph Lauren's Chicago Store on December 15th

The Boycott Ralph Lauren Facebook fan page gets over 3800 supporters in the first 36 hours at www.facebook.com/boycottralph

CHICAGO, Dec. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Documentary filmmaker Darryl Roberts (America the Beautiful) has spearheaded a major boycott against Ralph Lauren Polo, which will hit three major U.S. cities this month--Chicago, New York and San Francisco. On Tuesday, Dec. 15, Roberts along with 100 supporters seeking to improve media and advertising images being sent to young women and girls will boycott Lauren's Downtown Chicago store (750 N. Michigan Avenue) at 4pm.

Supporting Roberts in this boycott are the YWCA of America, IAEDP (International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals) and ANAD (National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Eating Disorders).

The boycotts come in the aftermath of the Filippa Hamilton uproar in October, when an ad featuring Hamilton, a model for Lauren, was found to be photoshopped to make her look thinner. Lauren released a media response, noting, in part, that, "Polo Ralph Lauren has apologized for the poor retouching of the images in question and takes full responsibility for the error." But in the following weeks, Roberts was notified of two additional ads, both featuring extremely thin looking models.

"Ralph Lauren apologized for the first image of Fillipa Hamilton that was photoshopped," Roberts says, "but later he was caught with a second image and a third image. If he was truly sorry, why didn't he pull the additional ads when he apologized for the first one? So it seems that his company has an apologize-as-we-get-caught philosophy. The reason that we're boycotting is that we want him to commit to never putting out another ad that's egregious and offensive to young women and girls again."

Roberts, whose documentary America the Beautiful, tackles the subject of body image and eating disorders, said, "No more empty apologies from Mr. Lauren. We want a firm commitment that he'll never use ads that are disrespectful and egregious again."

"The relentless marketing of so-called 'beauty' in the Ralph Lauren ads is alienating to all who don't meet those artificial standards of 'ideal,'" says Lorraine Cole, PhD, CEO of YWCA of America. "It is time that we ignite a cultural change in this country to end the pursuit of the elusive beauty myth, starting with a boycott of those companies that disregard the self-esteem, health and human worth of the women and girls whose dollars they seek."

ATB Action Network is a newly-founded organization whose mission is to fight for and protect the healthy self-esteem of young girls.

Dates of boycotts in New York City and San Francisco to be announced.

 

SOURCE ATB Action Network