Victoria Beckham takes legal advice after takeaway restaurant brands her ‘anorexic fashion icon’
Advert promotes 'new Victoria Beckham thin crust — only 2mm thin'
VICTORIA Beckham has furiously hit back at a fish and chip shop owner after they poked fun at her slim frame in an advertisement.
The marketing stunt brands Victoria an "anorexic fashion icon", comparing a cartoon of the former Spice Girl to an extra-thin pizza base.
A slogan beneath the image, plastered on a van by the owners of Sidhu Fish and Chips in North Tyneside, read: “Our new Victoria Beckham thin crust — only 2mm thin.”
But a spokeswoman for Victoria responded: “It is highly inappropriate to trivialise such a disorder, and defamatory to be so thoughtless with a person’s reputation in this way.
"Sadly this is now a legal matter.”
It is understood the former Spice Girl, 43, does not want to formally sue the small business, but hopes they will agree to remove the imagery from the van.
But manager Soni Sidhu insisted he understood the seriousness of anorexia before creating the controversial advert as he has battled his own mental illness, but had learned to have a “smile and a joke”.
Soni said: “Anorexia and any mental illness are very serious. I personally have suffered from depression.
“It was through the advice of my GP and help from my family who taught me and helped me to live life with a smile.
“I beat it. This mind-set continues through our work we like to have a smile and joke.”
MOST READ IN TV & SHOWBIZ
In a separate statement, he added: “It is reassuring the general public (whom this advert is aimed at) are sensible enough to differentiate between make-believe and real life.
"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.”
But the takeaway has been condemned by anorexia charities.
Marg Oaten, co-founder of eating disorder support service SEED, claims it promoted anorexia.
She said: “Twenty per cent of people who suffer from an eating disorder die each year.
“To trivialise anorexia in a pizza advert is appalling.
“This is a step in the wrong direction. The people responsible for this should hang their heads in shame."
She said members of the public would "see the advert and start comparing themselves to the size of Victoria Beckham".
Marg added: “These people need to be brought to account. There should be legislation banning this kind of thing."