A pizza place in North East England is advertising its crusts as being thinner than Victoria Beckham. (Reuters)
Victoria Beckham’s likeness has been used to sell everything from nail kits to deodorant, but she draws the line at pizzerias — and for very good reason.
A spokesperson for Victoria Beckham has revealed that the former Spice Girl is seeking legal advice after learning of an eatery in North East England that advertises its “Victoria Beckham Thin Crust” pizzas as being thinner than the “anorexic” designer.
Sidhu Golden Fish and Chips, in Tyneside, England, has affixed the offending advertisement to the back of its delivery truck, along with an unflattering caricature of Beckham wearing a sash reading “anorexic fashion icon.”
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“Our new Victoria Beckham Thin Crust only 2mm thin!!” the ad reads. Directly underneath, an arrow pointing to the caricature of Beckham insists she’s “not thin” in comparison to the shop’s new crusts.
“It is highly inappropriate to trivialize such a disorder, and defamatory to be so thoughtless with a person's reputation in this way, therefore we are seeking legal advice,” a spokesperson for Beckham tells Fox News.
Marg Oaten, a representative from an anorexia charity organization called Seed, has also described Sidhu’s ad as “appalling,” reports The Daily Mail.
"This is a step in the wrong direction. The people responsible for this should hang their heads in shame,” said Oaten. "The advert puts people at genuine risk. Those who suffer from eating disorders are constantly battling with their feelings and thoughts. They will see the advert and start comparing themselves to the size of Victoria Beckham.”
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The manager of Sidhu’s has since released a statement in response to the backlash, but asserted that his customers understood the “fun” nature of the ad, which had been on his truck for years.
"As the manager and on the behalf of all our staff and owners I would like to state we recognize how serious eating disorders are and would never make light the seriousness of people with eating disorders,” said Soni Sidhu per a statement obtained by iTV.
"It is offered as a fun way to make people smile, and to escape from the daily hustle and bustle of life. We would be genuinely horrified if anyone was genuinely offended,” he later added.
Sidhu also insisted that he’d take down the advertisement “even if one individual is upset or offended,” but did not confirm whether he would be doing so.
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"If, in 2017 Britain, we are asked to take down this advert it will be a sad day for freedom of expression," he said.
A representative for Sidhu’s was not immediately available for comment.
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