Website's Kate Moss quote slammed

A website which stocked a range of children's shirts emblazoned with a controversial quote from Kate Moss has been censured by the Advertising Standards Authority.

The range of t-shirts labelled "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels" was available on the UK website Zazzle.co.uk in April.

Zazzle has been ordered to take down the advert, which campaigners feared could encourage teenage girls to develop eating disorders.

Moss, 37, caused outrage when she claimed in 2009 she lived by the slogan.

When asked in an interview with the fashion news website WWD if she had any mottos, she replied: "There are loads of mottos.

"There's 'Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels'. That's one of them."

She added: "You try and remember, but it never works."

Critics condemned the comments by the model, who is admired by many teens.

Former Ultimo model Katie Green, who in 2009 launched the Say No To Size Zero campaign with Lembit Opik, the Liberal Democrat politician, said then: "There are 1.1 million eating disorders in the UK alone. Kate Moss's comments are likely to cause many more.

"If you read any of the pro-anorexia websites they go crazy for quotes like these."

Three people complained about the advert to the ASA.

They said it was irresponsible and could cause harm to children, because it implied being underweight was desirable and therefore could encourage children to develop body image issues and an unhealthy relationship with food.

ASA watchdogs ruled the ad must not appear again in its current form.

A spokesman for the agency, which enforces advertising codes, said: "We told Zazzle to ensure future ads were not irresponsible and, particularly where they were addressed to or depicted children, did not contain anything that was likely to condone or encourage an unsafe practice or to result in their physical, mental or moral harm."

Zazzle said it had restricted the designs so they did not appear on children's clothing.

Model Katie Green welcomed the ban.

She said today: "I'm thrilled to hear the ASA's ruling.

"This T-shirt should have never been manufactured in the first place but I'm glad to see it being banned.

"The company was being completely irresponsible and thoughtless, and didn't seem to think twice about the message the top was sending across to young people.

"There is already enough pressure in magazines and TV shows to be as thin as possible, and I'm glad that clothing isn't the next step."

PA