The ‘thigh gap’ has been slammed as body shaming at its worst.
And now it seems as if BABIES have become the latest victims of this new body craze.
Yup, Huggies nappies have been accused of editing an artificial thigh gap onto one of its baby models.
One concerned mum, who spotted the seemingly airbrushed ad, shared a photo of it on Reddit and asked: “Is it just me or did this huggies ad photoshop thigh gap on a toddler? [sic]”
[View post on imgur.com](http://imgur.com/4143NG1)
The image sparked a huge discussion online, with many parents agreeing that the baby’s body had been airbrushed.
“It definitely looks anatomically odd to me,” said one. “Although the photo looks odd.”
“How icky, changing a baby’s body!” remarked another Redditor. “The shaming begins that early, ugh.”
Another added: “Wtf Huggies?”
However some slammed the claims, insisting that thigh gaps CAN occur naturally - and that all babies are different.
“My toddler (22 months) has a ‘thigh gap’,” said one. “He’s small and probably looks like this if he put his knees together.”
Another added simply: “All babies are different.”
A representative for Huggies has since denied that there was any airbrushing involved in the ad.
“We always use real-life customers and users of our products, and do not airbrush the bodies of the babies in our advertising and photography,” spokesperson Terry Balluck explained.
“All babies are different. We look to celebrate those differences and everyday real-life tests and messes in our photography and communication.”
Whether the image was photoshopped or not, body image expert Dr. Robyn Silverman - the author of Good Girls Don’t Get Fat: How Weight Obsession Is Messing Up Our Girls And How We Can Help Them Thrive Despite It - said the topic is very important for parents to consider.
She told Yahoo Parenting: “It’s vital to teach even our youngest children to embrace their bodies for the amazing things they can do.
“That provides them with a strong mindset that can guard them against negative messages in the media, on social media, and even in their own social circles that tell them that they are not good enough the way that they are because their bodies don’t adhere to the standard of thinness much of society touts as the ideal.”
What do you think of the debate surrounding this Huggies advert?
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