• Brandweek, Friday, May 11, 2007 11 AM

Unilever will no longer use super-skinny models in its ads, as the maker of products ranging from Hellmann's mayonnaise to Dove soap wants all actors and models to have a Body Mass Index between 18.5 and 25. "As a responsible company, Unilever has adopted a new global guideline that will require that all its future marketing communications should not use models or actors that are either excessively slim or promote 'unhealthy' slimness," says Ralph Kugler, Unilever's president of home and personal care.

While the move has drawn praise, some say it hasn't gone far enough, noting that a BMI of less than 18.5 is considered underweight--and one less than 17.5 is a criterion for anorexia nervosa. "This is symbolic more than anything," says Scott Baradell, president of The Idea Grove, a Dallas PR agency. "Size 2 is still pretty small." Unilever appears to extend its "Dove's Campaign For Real Beauty" across the entire company, as its Dove campaign has drawn attention for featuring "normal sized" women.

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