Ralph Lauren Fires Size 4 Model for Being Too Fat

Dimitrios Kambouris, WireImage/HuffingtonPost

Chances are you've already seen the shocking image above of a Ralph Lauren model who'd been photoshopped to such an extreme that her waist looked barely bigger than her neck. Not surprisingly, the image has garnered an incredible amount of bad publicity for the company, which they almost managed to recover from by issuing a seemingly-sincere apology. But don't be too quick to forgive the fashion giant -- as it turns out, they've fired the model in the ad for being too fat, despite the fact that, at 5 feet 10 inches and 120 pounds, she's actually considered underweight by her BMI

Filippa Hamilton, the 23-year-old stunner in the ad, was let go "as a result of her inability to meet the obligations under her contract," with Ralph Lauren or -- as her agency was told -- because she was a bit too large to fit into the clothing. Interestingly, they had recently issued a statement on the issue claiming she was "beautiful and healthy" -- is this to suggest that they'd prefer to have skeletal and gaunt models representing their brand over beautiful and healthy ones?

It's hard to have sympathy for a company that perpetuates such an unhealthy body image, and they definitely won't get any from Hamilton. "I think they owe American women an apology, a big apology," she said in the NY Daily News. "I'm very proud of what I look like, and I think a role model should look healthy." Amen, sister.

Click on the video below to see Filippa talk about her weight.