Is the National Organization of Women using a similar PR strategy as PETA? First we heard NOW condemn David Letterman for dating a staff member, saying that it contributed to a “toxic workplace atmosphere,” and now they’re chiming in on the controversy over a model that claims she was fired by Ralph Lauren for being too “fat” at a willowy size four. The model, 23 year-old Filippa Hamilton, was let go by the American designer after working with the company for eight years. Hamilton claims she always did a good job and that she never gained weight. Her lawyer said on The Today Show that the termination letter she received specifically said that she was fired for not fitting into the sample sizes. She was also the subject of a Photoshop controversy recently when a Ralph Lauren ad came out from Japan featuring Filippa’s head on an abnormally small body. The Ralph Lauren company apologized for that distorted ad, but they haven’t come out with a statement about Fillipa no longer working for them. The Vice President of the National Organization of Women wants them to reconcile that:

The fashion conglomerate recently came under fire when heavily altered images of 23-year-old Hamilton looking emaciated came to light. Since then the 5’10” and 120 pound model has come out publicly claiming that Ralph Lauren fired her for being overweight.

“When I looked at (the ad), I wanted to burst into tears,” NOW vice president Erin Matson told RadarOnline.com exclusively. “What they have done is revolting. It is so harmful to young girls around the world.”

Matson, whose own battle with anorexia led her to join the women’s rights organization, says she is disturbed at the message that these ultra-thin images are sending to women.

“What sample sizes are they using? Who is the sample if a tall underweight woman does not fit a sample size?” says Matson. “It seems that they’re basing their sample sizes off of photoshopped images.”

And while Ralph Lauren has since issued statements apologizing for the distorted image, Matson believes the company should do more to.

“Statements only go so far,” says Matson. “What I would like to see is an open apology to her and also affirming ads to women of all shapes and sizes and a statement that these women are beautiful.”

“Certainly apologies are due to her personally,” Matson adds. “But what I’m really concerned about here is the message that that has sent to millions of pre-teens, daughters, mothers sister – women around the country and the world.”

NOW is working hard to combat those messages, which it says glorify unhealthy beauty stereotypes. Next week, the organization will celebrate its 12th annual Love Your Body Day offering a different message: “It’s okay to be you – and the true you is beautiful.”

[From The National Organization of Women]

It’s possible that Radar called NOW to get a comment, and skepticism of their motivation is probably unfair. I do agree wholeheartedly with the message – that models have unrealistic body types, especially when they’re Photoshopped into oblivion. At first this controversy just looked like a bad ad agency with an untrained graphic designed, but now that we’ve heard that the model in question was fired for being too large – at 5’10″ tall and 120 pounds – it sounds like there’s much more at work. The “models as emaciated clothes hangers” controversy keeps coming up and for good reason.

Here’s Filippa Hamilton on the Today Show earlier this week.