An advertisement for a new parody on the classic Snow White fairy tale is facing backlash from critics who claim the film promotes body shaming.
The ad campaign for “Red Shoes and the 7 Dwarfs,” sparked outraged Wednesday when images of the film’s billboard at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival were shared on social media.
The poster shows a slender Snow White standing next to a shorter, fuller-figured version of the princess and asks “What if Snow White was no longer beautiful and the 7 dwarfs not so short?”
Plus-size model Tess Holiday was among the first to criticize the ad Wednesday, calling out both the advertisers and the film’s star, Chloe Grace Moretz, on Twitter.
“How did this get approved by an entire marketing team?” she wrote. “Why is it okay to tell young kids being fat = ugly?”
Moretz — who has previously been outspoken about body images in Hollywood — said she was “appalled” by the ad and had asked the marketing team to review the campaign.
“The actual story is powerful for young women and resonated with me,” Moretz wrote on Twitter. “I am sorry for the offense that was beyond my creative control.”
“Red Shoes” is a Korean children’s film by Locus Corporation and is scheduled for release in 2018. Descriptions of the movie's plot on the distributor’s website bill it as a film about empowerment and body-positivity.
The film's website describes Snow White as “a princess who doesn’t fit into the celebrity world of princesses — or their dress size” and goes on to emphasize her struggle to remain body-positive, until she “learns not only to accept herself, but to celebrate who she is, inside and out.”
But parts of the movie's trailer seems to contradict this narrative by showing two of the dwarves watching in excitement as Snow White undresses, only to be horrified when she reveals her true figure.
The film’s producer, Sujin Hwang issued a statement to Salon.com, saying that the ad campaign had been terminated.
“Locus corporation wishes to apologize regarding the first elements of our marketing campaign, which we realize has had the opposite effect from that which was intended,” he said. “We appreciate and are grateful for the constructive criticism of those who brought this to our attention.”
But for some fans on social media, the damage had been done.