World Radio Switzerland

http://worldradio.ch/wrs/news/switzerland/hm-swimsuit-posters-get-under-cancer-docs-skin.shtml?30617

H&M swimsuit posters get under cancer doc's skin

Last week clothing retailer H&M launched its annual swimwear campaign. Posters displayed the usual images of model, beach and bikini. What’s different, however, is the apparent extreme tanning of the model’s skin. Ironically, the campaign was launched in skin cancer awareness week in Switzerland, a country with one of the highest rates of melanoma in Europe. WRS’s Pete Forster talks to Dr. Ralph Braun, the director of the skin cancer prevention program at Zurich Hospital:

— Pete Forster, World Radio Switzerland

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WRS wrote to H&M Switzerland and asked for their reasons for choosing this look for the campaign. The firm declined an interview but sent the following statement: “We confirm that our spokesperson won’t be available for an interview however we would like to inform you regarding this campaign that we are very sorry if anyone has been upset by our latest swimwear campaign. It has not been our intention to show a specific ideal, our aim has solely been to show our current swimwear collection. We welcome all feedback and will discuss this internally to take it into consideration for future campaigns.”