Is the ‘woke’ backlash killing body positivity? - From Sydney Sweeney ad to Zara models ban episode artwork

EPISODE · Aug 6, 2025 · 26 MIN

Is the ‘woke’ backlash killing body positivity? - From Sydney Sweeney ad to Zara models ban

from The Fourcast · host Channel 4 News

Is fashion the latest thing to be swallowed into politics, culture war and the backlash on woke?Stick-thin models with protruding bones were the marketing choice of Zara for a new campaign - the ad has just been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority as irresponsible.And the fallout from Sydney Sweeney's ad campaign for American Eagle jeans keeps growing - a few years ago accusations of white supremacy and promoting the right wing might have caused a share price to plummet.But after Donald Trump described the ad as the hottest ad out there American Eagle stock rocketed. Are we back in the 90's or even the 30's?Ad agencies have always looked for ways to get noticed - but is the war on woke also sweeping away years of progress on body positivity and diversity?On this episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by Katie Glass, who writes for the Times and Megan Jayne Crabbe - a writer, presenter and activist for body positivity and feminism.

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Is the ‘woke’ backlash killing body positivity? - From Sydney Sweeney ad to Zara models ban

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